Turning Points: Loyalty
by elarielf
Summary: AU/"What if" story - What if the Black Knights didn't turn on Lelouch when they found out he was Zero? Without the power of his despair, Lelouch has more to lose, and yet more to gain in defeating Britannia. But his tools and motives have changed.
1. Losses and Gains

Diethard was probably the only Black Knight thrilled by the explosion of the FLEIA. Zero had gotten out alive, although possibly injured, and this new challenge would surely spur him to even greater heights. At this point, Diethard knew that it was his duty to keep everything running smoothly until Zero returned. Everyone else was still reeling from the incalculable destruction of the bomb.

Ougi and Toudou were still active, but it was Diethard who chased down the escaped prisoner, and it was Diethard who first came into contact with Princess Cornelia. He had no idea how long she'd been a prisoner of Zero's, but one thing was certain– she was worth more alive than dead.

"Aim for her legs. I want her taken alive, men."

"Yes, sir!"

Cornelia glared at them, proud and strong and resentful of the indignity of being held at gunpoint by mere footsoldiers. Diethard smiled; out of all the Britannian scions, she was one of the most interesting. He could understand why Zero would want her captive rather than dead.

Before anyone could fire, however, a Britannian craft landed, escorted by a giant light red Knightmare, announcing it was carrying a special envoy. Diethard frowned; he hadn't been informed…

The appearance of the Second Prince of Britannia, the Prime Minister himself, stunned even Diethard. It made no sense; why would he step right into the midst of his mortal enemies? To rescue his sister? But he was an even more valuable prisoner. It made no sense.

Diethard could feel his heart racing. Never mind the FLEIA, _this_ would be Zero's greatest challenge.

"Your Highness…" Diethard could hear his voice wavering, and could only hope that everyone took is as fear rather than excitement. "To what do we owe the honour of this visit?"

Schneizel's smile was gentle. "I wish to speak with the leaders of the Black Knights. I have some highly sensitive information that is relevant to our mutual plans for the future of our peoples." He turned his smile to Cornelia. "And, of course, I would ask for safe passage back for myself and my retinue, as well as my sister."

Diethard was sceptical. "Or we could just capture you both. Your Highness."

Schneizel laughed. "Indeed. I am fully aware of my own vulnerabilities. However, I have taken at least basic precautions. There is a FLEIA within the Mordred, set to go off by remote detonation. Several of my men, including myself and my aide, are carrying remotes. It is my hope that our business can be concluded peacefully and we can all walk away from this."

Even more exciting! Diethard couldn't help but admire the way Schneizel played his new weapon early and often, while the fear was still fresh. "I understand, Your Highness. In that case, please allow me to escort you to a waiting area while I gather Zero and the others."

Zero was out of commission, but Toudou was at least willing to talk. Chiba also volunteered, as did Tamaki when Ougi was nowhere to be found. Personally, Diethard had little patience for the brash idiot, but without Ougi, they were running out of choices and time. And the original Black Knights would require a representative. It wasn't ideal but it would have to do.

Prince Schneizel was seated comfortably with his sister on his right and his aide on his left. After everyone was settled, Diethard set up the parameters of the meeting.

"Zero won't be attending. Not until we have the details of the proposal."

Schneizel shook his head and smiled. "Of course. I didn't expect him to. He's not the type who consults with others. No, he keeps things to himself and holds people at a distance."

Toudou frowned, as if remembering something unpleasant. Diethard just frowned with curiosity. "You speak of Zero as if you know him."

"I do," Schneizel answered. "Better than any of you. He is my, and Cornelia's, younger brother, after all."

Tamaki immediately slammed his hands on the table. "What the hell are you talking about?" Diethard winced; there was a reason he preferred Ougi.

"He is the former Eleventh Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire: Lelouch vi Britannia," Schneizel announced.

Neither Tamaki nor Toudou could hide their incredulous exclamations at that. Diethard immediately planned to focus on damage control.

Cornelia didn't let him. "Diethard, please. In all this time, you never figured that out? Even with all the information you were getting from Jeremiah and Villetta?"

"Either way, it's irrelevant," Diethard said. "It's not Zero's lineage that matters but rather his efforts and the miracles that he's performed for us."

"And if those miracles were all just tricks?" Schneizel asked. "Zero possesses a power called _geass_, the absolute power to compel anyone to obey him. You can think of it as extreme hypnosis."

Tamaki finally, and Diethard was honestly impressed with how long it had taken, jumped to his feet. "I hear a lot of talkin' with nothing to back it up! Zero's a prince with magic hypnosis? Bull! Where's the proof?"

"The proof is here."

Diethard's heard sank when he turned and saw Ougi. With Villetta. That couldn't be good.

"It's just as Prince Schneizel said. Zero is a Britannian prince who's been controlling people with his power. He's tricked us and lied to us from the start!"

Chiba seemed to believe it. "If that's true then…"

"Then it doesn't matter," Diethard interrupted her. "It doesn't erase a single thing that he's done for us. And if it's true, then isn't that a good thing? It's another weapon to use in our fight against Britannia." It was important to remind them all who they were fighting. It wasn't Zero; it was Zero's accusers.

If only Ougi had stayed out of this…

"He doesn't just use it against his enemies, though," Ougi argued. Shit.

"Are you saying he used it on us?" Chiba demanded, her eyes wide with incredulity.

Cornelia just looked at her coldly. "Of course. He used it without hesitation on his younger sister, Euphemia. He caused the slaughter of the Elevens during the opening ceremonies for the special zone."

"You're lying!" Tamaki declared. "Zero is a knight for justice. He would never do something like…"

"I do have proof of that," Schneizel shot back. "Here." He pressed play on a recording device.

"_Lelouch. Did you use your _geass_ on Euphy?_"

"_Yes._"

"_You caused her to massacre the Japanese?_"

"_I ordered it._"

"So Zero slaughtered our people for his own ambitions?" Toudou asked, sounding less disbelieving than Diethard would have hoped.

Only Tamaki maintained his faith. "That recording's a fake!" His rather blind faith… Diethard kept silent.

Schneizel's aide, Kanon Maldini, Diethard only now remembered, approached Toudou, handing him a significant amount of papers. "These are people we suspect he manipulated with his _geass_."

The list was long and heartbreaking for the Japanese patriots. Kusakabe and Katase were war heroes, and the number of high-ranking Britannian and Japanese victims made it clear that Zero… no, that _Lelouch_ had been using his powers right from the start. Even if he hadn't used them directly against the Black Knights themselves, he'd used it to manipulate them into thinking he was more impressive than he was. He'd bought their faith with lies.

Kanon sat down. "Not only that, but he was forewarned about the FLEIA. We have the Lancelot's voice logs as proof." He bowed his head in grief. "We wanted to avoid this outcome at all costs, however…"

Toudou's head shot up, his dark expression sharpening. "…FLEIA."

There was a moment of silence as the atmosphere subtly changed.

"You did everything you could to avoid using that weapon… except not firing it."

Schneizel templed his fingers and leaned forward. "We are, of course, immensely grieved by what happened. Sir Kururugi, we believe, was under the effects of his _geass _when it–"

"You can't just blame that for everything," Toudou interrupted, standing. "These are, indeed, disturbing allegations. But the facts remain the facts. No matter how it was achieved, Zero has very nearly secured Japan's freedom. No matter what your intentions, you unleashed a genocidal attack on Tokyo. And as much as you claim to regret what happened, you sit here comfortably under the safety of the casual threat of unleashing yet another FLEIA."

Ougi stepped forward, his hands clenched. "You can't mean that! He… Zero lied to us from the start! He betrayed us, the JLF… he killed General Katase, he ordered the killing of innocent Japanese…" Villetta placed a gentle hand on his arm. "I wanted to believe in him too, but I…"

"The fact that you stand here, a traitor to your leader at the side of your enemies, is proof enough to me that you are free of any _geass_," Toudou shot back. "The fact that I was genuinely willing to take the word of the Prime Minister of Britannia and the Witch of Britannia, the former Viceroy of the Area that was once my proud country, without evidence, is proof enough that I am also free."

Diethard frowned, willing, as always, to play the devil's advocate. "But they do have evidence. The recording…"

"Men will say much under duress."

"…old man Kirihara…"

Everyone turned to Tamaki. Ougi was the first to speak. "What about him?"

"When Zero showed him his face, he said we could trust him. That Zero hated Britannia. Even if he is a Britannian and even if he's a prince… that's gotta mean something." Tamaki stood as well, in Toudou's shadow. "I'm not givin' up on Zero neither!"

Diethard chuckled. "Indeed. At least not without a fair hearing."

Cornelia leapt to her feet, knocking over her chair as she slammed her palms on the table in front of her. "Like he gave any of those he tricked a fair chance? Like he gave _Euphy_ a fair chance?"

Schneizel stood as well, more calmly. "I understand your mistrust and your reluctance to relinquish your leader. But, as I said before, I _know_ Lelouch. This is in your best interest as much as it is in ours."

Toudou shook his head. "You're not the only one who knew him before he was Zero. We never spoke, but I can easily recall the memory of a weak but arrogant child, hovering protectively over his vulnerable sister. That same arrogance, that same selfishness is clearly, in hindsight, present in Zero. But, again, that does not diminish what he's accomplished."

"…or absolve him of his crimes," Schneizel added pointedly. "His wholesale slaughter of those only peripherally in his way… can you truly claim that you want freedom at the price he's already enacted?"

"We're soldiers," Chiba pointed out, briefly shooting Ougi a disgusted look. "Well, some of us are. We've all decided that freedom is worth the price of our own lives, and the lives of our enemies. We were also terrorists. And we've have to accept that sometimes innocents will have to die as well. The price that Zero has made us pay is no more than we've always known this might have cost."

Cornelia looked like she wanted to vault over the table and _beat_ the sense into the Black Knight officers that she couldn't get across with words alone. Schneizel pressed her back down in her chair.

"A fair hearing?" He hummed slightly under his breath, clearly mulling that over. "I can't deny that I would appreciate hearing Lelouch's words and justifications from him personally. Indeed, I was hoping that you would turn him over so I could have that conversation with him myself. But you and yours are who he's truly wronged; it would be more appropriate for you question him. I do have one request. Might Cornelia and I stay to watch?"

Toudou hesitated before nodding. "Should you like, you may even question him as well." Tamaki made a whiny protesting sound before Chiba elbowed him in the side. "This is hardly a formal hearing and, as you say, you know him well."

Diethard had already picked up the phone. "Kouzuki? If you don't mind, Toudou and Ougi have a request of you…"

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Kallen stood outside Lelouch's door, hesitating.

She was under orders, only phrased as a request, to fetch Zero to the conference room where Toudou and Ougi were waiting for him. She wasn't sure what it was about, but considering what had just happened with the FLEIA, she was pretty sure it was serious. Normally she would have already entered, possibly spouting something patriotic and cheerful to get Lelouch out of his losing funk, but…

Nunnally was dead.

She'd heard Lelouch lose it over the radio. _Everyone_ heard it. And they heard it as Zero. Toudou had been forced to take over for him, and Jeremiah had literally dragged him back by his Knightmare. She hadn't seen him (Rolo had immediately taken him to his room, making up a lie about a physical injury to hide the emotional one) but it didn't take much imagination to figure out that Lelouch was probably still broken.

Well, at least he had Rolo and C.C. If there was something that pizza witch was good for, it was refusing to let Lelouch stew in either his failures or his victories. Or his grief. And Rolo… Rolo was creepy but Lelouch trusted him, enough to take him on secret missions and leave Nunnally's safety in his hands. And it wasn't his fault that Suzaku fired that horrible weapon.

Kallen still couldn't wrap her head around that. Suzaku, the genocide. It was oddly fitting, considering that Euphemia had been his princess. As much as she'd disliked and resented him personally, though, she would never have thought him capable of this. Maybe this was what came of killing your father at a young age. Perhaps the Suzaku Kallen had thought she knew wasn't any more real than the one he showed the rest of the student council. Maybe this killing machine, this White Reaper, was the real Suzaku.

And what would Lelouch say to that – his former friend killing his younger sister in cold blood?

Kallen shook her head, clearing those thoughts. Lelouch was, _Zero _was, above all else, Britannia's enemy. That hadn't changed when Nunnally took the Viceroy position, and it would hardly change now that Britannia had killed her. No matter what Lelouch was feeling, it would only turn into the righteous rage that had sustained the Black Knights to this point.

And that was something she could follow and believe in.

She tentatively knocked on the door. "Zero? It's me. Can I come in?"

"Kallen?"

Kallen opened the door, noticing that Rolo was nowhere to be seen (odd) and C.C. scrambling to hide (…odder). Still, it was Lelouch, slumped over on the couch, that grabbed most of her attention. "Ougi and Toudou-san are requesting your presence in the main conference room."

"Why?"

"I'm not sure." It never occurred to Kallen to question orders until later. "But it sounded important…"

"Master." C.C. popped her head out from her hiding place, her eyes darting nervously to Kallen. "Please remove your clothes. I'll do my best for you, I promise."

And the oddness level was officially higher than Kallen could ignore. "What the hell are you two playing at?"

Lelouch sat up, the first sign of life he'd shown since Kallen walked in. "That's not… She's…" He slumped back down looking, if possible, even more depressed than before. "C.C. lost her memories. Because of me…" Lelouch stood up, putting on his cape with less flare than Kallen had ever seen before. "The C.C. you remember is gone now."

As Lelouch put on his mask and followed Kallen out the door to the elevator, Kallen ran that information through her mind. C.C. was 'gone', Nunnally was dead, Rolo was clearly out of the picture… That meant Lelouch was now completely and utterly alone. The only person he had who knew who he was and who cared about him was…

"Kallen. I'm glad you're safe. I'm sorry it took so long to get you out."

Kallen flushed. She didn't want the responsibility. Nunnally had been Lelouch's life, C.C. had been his confidant… Kallen wasn't able to replace them. And she didn't want to. But there was no one else who could be here for Lelouch. She was the only one.

"Lelouch… when I was captured, Nunnally came to speak with me. She was very kind…"

"I see."

Kallen wished she could see Lelouch's face. "I had an older brother, you know. So I kind of understand how she feels… um, felt about you. She really loved you." Oh good, there was the conference room door. Now Kallen could stop trying to make something unfixable better. "I guess I'll leave you here…"

Zero shook his head. "Whatever Ougi needs me for, you have every right to be present if you wish." He held out his arm.

Kallen hesitated yet again. If she took that arm, would it have any meaning beyond that simple action? For the first time in a long time, she hated the blankness of Zero's mask.

Screw it. Whatever came of this, she was on Zero's, and Lelouch's, side. It was too late for second or third or even fourth thoughts now.

She took his arm gracefully, less like a soldier and more like a lady. She hoped it amused him at least a little. She knew Lelouch well enough to know that normally it would have.

The door opened automatically and they walked in.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

The first thing Lelouch noticed, and only thing he noticed for a long moment, was Schneizel.

Then Cornelia and Kanon, Ougi and Villetta, and eventually Toudou and Tamaki and Chiba, standing together in front of some very recognizable photographs.

He noticed Diethard last, standing in a corner with his arms crossed. Kallen seemed just as surprised as he was, clinging onto his arm with a sudden strong grip.

"What's this about then?" Lelouch gently pulled away from Kallen. If this ended poorly…

"Before we start, Zero, we would like you to remove your mask, please."

Lelouch was surprised that it was Toudou who seemed to be leading this, rather than Ougi. Still from the way Ougi was glaring, he was certainly on board.

"I would like to respectfully decline until someone tells me what exactly is going on."

"We told them," Cornelia said. "Everything you didn't want them to hear from me while you kept me isolated as a prisoner. About you, Lelouch, and about your _geass_."

Lelouch had expected that. "I doubt even you know _everything_, Cornelia."

"I know enough. And now they do too."

"Just take off your mask, kay, Zero? Then it'll show them as the liars they are!" Lelouch couldn't help but smile at Tamaki's continued support. What a moron.

"Zero, should I…" Kallen trailed off, not even sure what she could offer.

Lelouch shook his head. "No, just… stay out of the range of fire." Kallen made a soft noise. "The figurative range, Q1, I doubt any bullets will fly here." Not yet.

He turned his attention back to Toudou. "What incentive do I have to unveil myself before a surprise panel of my enemies?"

"None, if you're not truly Lelouch vi Britannia," Toudou answered. "If you are, then you have nothing to lose, and at least we can start on relatively equal footing."

Lelouch nodded. He'd planned to unmask almost the moment he'd seen Schneizel. "Very well." He removed the mask, allowing everyone to see his face, his unmistakably Britannian features, and his obvious youth. "Is this what you wanted, Schneizel?"

Schneizel shrugged. "I will admit that you're rather more agreeable than I expected, Lelouch. This encounter lacks the vitriol of our last one."

"I don't have the energy right now," Lelouch admitted, turning back to Toudou. "Was there anything else? Are you planning to expose me to the other Black Knights? Or turn me in to Britannian hands in return for a truce?"

Toudou frowned. "Your heritage and identity are not our main concern. What concerns us more is the use of your _geass_."

"Oh?" Lelouch looked bored. "How so?"

"Did you truly use it on Colonel Kusakabe and General Katase?"

"Kusakabe, yes. And everyone else in that room. The other option was shooting them, and I thought they'd probably prefer _seppuku_. From what they said, at least. Katase… I don't think I ever met him. So no."

There was a general feeling of unease. Tamaki cut through it. "Hey, what about us? Did you ever use it against the Black Knights?"

"No. Why would I have to?" Lelouch asked rhetorically, sounding genuinely surprised that he'd even asked. "You did whatever I said without it. Ah, in the interests of full and total honesty, I did use it on Kallen, before the Black Knights were formed."

"That weird moment in the quad…"

"Precisely. Otherwise, no Black Knight has ever been under my _geass_." Lelouch laughed a little, humourlessly. "It's rather amusing that you'd ask me this _after_ having me remove my mask."

"…why?" Chiba asked.

Lelouch smiled at Cornelia. "Because, as my elder sister should know from her research into the _geass_ cult, my particular brand of _geass_ requires eye contact."

There was an awkward moment as everyone, besides Cornelia, looked away. "Eye contact and an order, is it not, Lelouch?"

"Precisely." Lelouch inclined his head towards Cornelia. "As you've experienced yourself. I'm sure you're also aware of the side effects of the amnesia that comes when receiving the order, as well as when following it."

"Hey, yeah!" Tamaki jumped in. "I never forgot anything, so Zero never used it on me!" His eyes started tearing. "I never lost faith in you, buddy!"

Lelouch smiled weakly at him. It was harder to deal with Tamaki without a mask hiding his expressions.

"You're being quite open about your powers, Lelouch," Schneizel said, meeting his brother's eyes with impunity. "Considering how secretive you've been in the past, it makes me wonder about your honesty now."

Lelouch shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I don't need them any longer. Japan's freedom is all but inevitable now, and once Area 11 is no more, the other Areas will petition for assistance and the U.F.N. will grant it – that's what I designed it to do. There will be bloodshed and backlash against the Britannian citizens of those Areas, but once the smoke has cleared, the world will be a freer place and Britannia will be a weaker entity."

"Was that your goal?"

"No." Lelouch scowled. "But my goal is no longer achievable. At this point I'll take what I can get."

"What was your goal?" Toudou asked. "If not the freedom of Japan, then what were you using us for?"

"Mainly as a means of undermining Britannia itself," Lelouch answered. "But ultimately, the creation of a kinder, gentler world."

Cornelia snorted. "You realize how hypocritical that sounds."

"Ah. But it was never for me, Cornelia." Cornelia's eyes widened.

"Nunnally…"

Chiba frowned. "The Viceroy?"

"My sister." Lelouch placed his mask on the table. "She died in the blast of your FLEIA, Schneizel, and with her died any sense of restraint I might have had. _Geass_? The Black Knights? All nothing compared to the strength of my wrath when I have nothing to lose."

Schneizel nodded. "So it's vengeance then?"

"It always was. For my mother, and now for Nunnally." Lelouch's eyes narrowed. "And nothing you nor Cornelia nor any of our other siblings will be able to do anything to prevent it. I'm done with caution and biding my time. I'm coming for Britannia now."

Schneizel rose gracefully. "Currently I may be in no position to stop you. But I will warn you that the Mordred is on board with a remote-abled FLEIA…"

"Whose detonation can only be prevented by your release, I suppose." Lelouch inclined his head. Schneizel's life in return for the entire upper tier of the Black Knights. A fair exchange. Schneizel's gambit, to destroy the faith and support Lelouch had from his soldiers as Zero, had failed. Letting him leave with his life was no great loss on Lelouch's part. "Then go."

"And Cornelia?"

Lelouch waved that away as if he hadn't been keeping his sister prisoner in secret as a contingency plan. "Of course. Your aide as well. I certainly want nothing to do with you." He turned to Toudou. "Any objections?"

"None, Zero," Toudou answered, staunchly. Lelouch permitted himself a small smile.

He may have lost Nunnally, but he hadn't lost everything. And he could still give it to her, the world she'd so desperately wanted, as a final gift and apology for not protecting her.


	2. Stockholm Syndrome or Shock

Lelouch didn't even bother to escort Schneizel and Cornelia back to his plane. He had a renewed focus, an unrestrained and renewed devotion to his cause. Nunnally was fast reaching martyred in his mind, and Suzaku… Lelouch refused to think of him, fully aware of the blind rage that thoughts of his former friend could provoke.

As for Rolo, whose very existence Lelouch had denied mere hours ago, Lelouch didn't spare him a single thought. If he wasn't useful, he wasn't anything to Lelouch.

Kallen walked with him back to his room, mostly quiet, letting him think. Lelouch felt a surprisingly strong wave of affection for her, the only person he'd truly trusted apart from C.C., and currently the closest thing he had to a confidant. "Kallen?"

"Ah, yes, Ze-… Lelouch?" Kallen flushed awkwardly.

"Welcome back." Lelouch smiled and turned to her, inclining his head as he gave the traditional Japanese welcome. "_Okeri_."

Kallen's flush disappeared, replaced by a brilliant smile. "_Tadaima_, Lelouch. It's good to be back."

"I'm sure there are others you should see. Ougi was very worried, and Tamaki was very… loud." Kallen looked like she might protest. Lelouch held up a hand, forestalling her. "I'm just going to sleep. There's no reason for you to accompany me."

That flush was back, with a vengeance. "I…"

"Kallen, go enjoy yourself. I promise, you'll be sent off into battle soon enough. Take this opportunity."

Kallen nodded, still flushing for some reason. "Thanks." She hesitated before turning back to Lelouch. "Sleep well. I mean… don't have nightmares or anything."

…because of Nunnally. "I'll try not to," Lelouch said, as reassuringly as he could. "I'm sure that if I make enough noise, C.C. will wake me up."

"Ah, right…" Kallen's mouth twisted slightly. "I hope she… gets better."

Lelouch nodded. "Me too." He watched Kallen walk away, allowing himself the relief of having her back. Then he put her from her mind and walked into his room, tossing his mask and cape aside. Maybe he wouldn't even need the mask anymore. He'd consult with Kaguya regarding that – it wouldn't do to cause internal problems within the Black Knights or the U.F.N. at this sensitive time.

C.C. wasn't waiting for him. Honestly, Lelouch couldn't blame her – he'd been violent and loud with Rolo, far above anything he'd ever shown to C.C. before. He hadn't struck Rolo, but he would have if it had occurred to him. If the boy had done anything but cower in terror from him. Assassin or no, Rolo instinctively knew his place was below Lelouch.

Still, C.C.'s wasn't. Not even as this childish servant girl. Lelouch rolled his shoulders to relieve the tension of meeting with his elder brother and revealing his true self, and decided to explain himself to C.C., at least as much as she would be able to understand. She seemed more compassionate than she had as the acerbic witch he so dearly missed. She would understand about Nunnally's loss, or at least empathize if she didn't.

"C.C.?" Lelouch called, absently tidying the mess he'd made. "C.C., are you here? I just want to talk."

There was no answer. Lelouch wasn't really concerned, he could wait her out.

…or maybe she was asleep. Lelouch's hours were far from regular, and C.C. more or less slept whenever she felt like it. Certainly, the quiet after Kallen had taken him away would have been a good opportunity.

Lelouch tried his room first. More often than not, she'd curl up on his bed, on the edge or even at the foot, without even getting under the sheets. He had no idea why. "C.C.?"

Nothing. He checked the other rooms and, finding them all similarly empty, began to get faintly worried. "C.C.!" The closets, corners, under the command computer and all the desks… nothing, apart from C.C.'s beloved cheese-kun. "C.C., come out right now!"

Still no answer. Lelouch clutched at the stuffed pizza hut mascot and came to the conclusion he should have arrived at minutes ago; C.C. wasn't in his rooms. She'd been forbidden to leave, and had never even considered disobeying since the day she lost her memory. Lelouch would occasionally spend almost a full day away at a time and she would wait him out here, not leaving even for food. But if she wasn't here, that meant that she had either left on her own, or been taken.

Lelouch hoped it was the former. The thought of C.C., in the childlike state she was in, kidnapped, was unbearable.

He grabbed his mask, leaving the cape behind. The point wasn't to intimidate if he found her, but rather to soothe. The thought of not finding C.C. didn't even cross his mind. They were on a ship in the middle of the ocean, for goodness sakes. The only way off was by boat or plane or…

Or Knightmare. C.C. couldn't pilot one, not as she was, but that would hardly stop someone else from taking her. Someone who was a servant of Lelouch's father, someone brought here under the orders of Lelouch's brother.

Lelouch rushed out of the room, pausing only to call the bridge.

"Yes?"

"This is Zero. I need the exact location of the Mordred."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Anya Alstreim's body smiled at C.C. who returned the smile easily, not even slightly intimidated by the giant Knightmare looming behind her. "Marianne."

"C.C. You're back." Marianne looked pleased, the same way she always did when she got her way. "Honestly, I would have expected better from you than sullen sulking in your own mind."

"I have no idea what came over me."

Marianne shrugged easily. "I have orders to leave with Schneizel. Are you coming along?"

"I assume you're following a slightly different flight path." Marianne's eyes twinkled as she held back a giggle. C.C. sighed. "Just wait a moment? There's something I wanted to bring."

Marianne shrugged. "My orders are to launch in a few minutes. But since I'll be taking off A.W.O.L. to join Charles, I suppose a little procrastination won't matter."

C.C. was just about to turn when the sharp clip of heeled boots, an unmistakably arrogant tread, caught her attention. "Oh dear."

"C.C.!" Lelouch's voice, only slightly muffled by the mask, was filled with exasperated relief. "Where have you been, I…" It was always impressive when Lelouch was struck speechless. The plush toy in his arms completed the image. C.C. simply raised an eyebrow as Lelouch dropped the cheese-kun and drew his gun. "Lady Alstreim."

"Zero!" Marianne very nearly trilled, smiling more brightly than Anya had ever managed. "I was not expecting you."

Lelouch moved slowly, never lowering his gun, as he moved between C.C. and Marianne. "I wish I could say the same. What is your business with my… with C.C.?"

Marianne smirked. "Your C.C.? She was mine long before she was yours." Before Lelouch had the chance to ask about that, C.C. came up behind him and knocked him out. Marianne shook her head. "That'll hurt his feelings when he wakes up."

"Does that matter? Once your plan is complete, he'll understand why it had to be done."

"_Our_ plan," Marianne corrected. "And I've just had the most wonderful idea for a variation! After all, the Mordred's cockpit is certainly large enough to fit three."

C.C. raised an eyebrow. "Is this because he's your son?" When Marianne's smile simply sharpened at that, C.C. sighed. "Such sentimentality."

"Well, naturally. If one is to have a weak point, it would almost certainly be one's children." Marianne reached down and lightly caressed Zero's mask. "It's a pity there's no chance of getting Nunnally there, but…" She looked up, grinning at C.C. "Don't tell, but Lelouch was always my favourite. Delicate and lovely, hiding a truly vicious streak of ambition. Nunnally was always more classically strong, but she never quite managed either Charles's or my cunning."

C.C. didn't disagree. She'd really only known Marianne's children after they'd been broken by the death of their mother.

"So. Kidnapping Zero out from under his army. Pretty flashy, don't you think?" Marianne hoisted Lelouch up, leaving his mask on as she half-carried, half-dragged him to the Mordred. "Not a bad note to end my military career on."

"That's true. There won't be any need for armies or soldiers or knights in your new world."

Marianne smiled over her shoulder. "And there won't be any need for you, C.C. Won't that be nice?"

C.C. nodded and helped Marianne steady Lelouch as they rose to the Mordred's cockpit. It would be nice indeed.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Suzaku strode into the relaxation area, ignoring Cecile kicking Gino's ass at billiards, and headed straight for Lloyd. "What's the status of the Lancelot?"

"Ah… out of commission? You'd know that as well as anyone." Lloyd didn't seem impressed.

Suzaku shook his head. "No, I meant the Lancelot Albion."

"Albion?" Gino asked.

"It's a Knightmare designed especially for Sir Suzaku Kururugi," Lloyd said, "but I don't feel like giving it to him now."

He was sulking, like a petulant child. Suzaku didn't have time for this. "I could order you to release it to me." Lloyd may have been an Earl, but a Knight of the Rounds had the Emperor's voice on military matters.

"Now I _really_ don't want to."

"Suzaku, maybe after the FLEIA you should take it easy for a bit," Cecile suggested in her typically kind way. Normally that would have worked, but Suzaku wasn't in a mood for kindness.

"The FLEIA was just another weapon. I'm ready to move on to the Albion."

"But–"

Cecile's objection was interrupted by the entrance of Prince Schneizel, followed by his aide and by Princess Cornelia. It was heartening to see that _someone_ had been successful in their efforts, particularly given that they'd gone against Lelouch.

Cecile, Suzaku, and Gino snapped to attention. "At ease," Schneizel said.

Lloyd just waved. "It's been a while, Your Highness!" Cornelia glared at the informality, but she looked tired, her eyes scanning the room. Suzaku wondered what Lelouch had done to her while she was in captivity.

"Where's Guilford?" Cornelia asked suddenly.

"He was caught in the FLEIA's blast radius after launching it. We haven't been able to locate him since," Kanon answered smoothly. Cornelia stood, stunned speechless.

"Alive or dead, he's a hero," Schneizel was fast to reassure her. "He was truly worthy of being your knight."

Suzaku stepped up. "Pardon me, Your Highness, but _I_ fired the FLEIA warhead. It is an achievement that is necessary for me to become the Knight of One."

"Hey, Suzaku…" Gino sounded both chiding and nervous, nothing at all like his normal cheerful self.

"Is this a lie to spare Sir Guilford's reputation?" Suzaku demanded relentlessly.

Cornelia turned her attention fully onto him, and the fire that had been missing from her eyes returned. "What do you mean?"

"Leave it at that, Suzaku," Schneizel warned.

"I can't," Suzaku answered. "I've been too soft up until now. I've put my ideals and aesthetics above my ambition and desires." He approached Prince Schneizel, standing directly in front of him.

Schneizel frowned in a clear warning. "That may be, however…"

"That stops now." Suzaku faced Schneizel with his face set, a warning of his own. "Make me the Knight of One, Your Highness."

Cornelia's eyes were narrowed and arrogant again, the eyes of the warrior princess she'd been. "You're treading dangerously close to insubordination and treason, Kururugi."

"After all," Lloyd added, "only the Emperor has the right to name the Knight of One. What you're suggesting…"

"Very well," Schneizel interrupted. "I accept. I will become Emperor."

The gasps of surprise filled the room. Gino stepped up. "Your Highness, what you're speaking of is…"

"He called this war a 'trivial matter'." Schneizel shook his head. "He's absorbed in his own personal research and abandons his throne. He's lost interest in the world, filled with indifference towards those who struggle to live and fight. Such a man has no right to rule."

Gino hesitated, the words clearly resonating with him. Suzaku took this opportunity. "Your Highness, as a Knight of Rounds, I can arrange to get close the Emperor. Please give me the order to assassinate him."

"Suzaku!"

"If I'm going to be a murderer, Gino, then I'll make it count. All that matters is the outcome."

Schneizel inclined his head, acknowledging Suzaku's determination. "Then I so order you, Suzaku Kururugi, current Knight of Seven. Make Britannia a better place through your actions, and I'll reward you with your own wish."

One of the upsides from this was that Lloyd could no longer withhold the Lancelot Albion from Suzaku. One of the downsides was that Gino, still resistant to Schneizel's coup d'état, was taken prisoner, stripped of his Rounds uniform and held prisoner at Schneizel's leisure. Suzaku would have felt guilty about that, about Gino's punishment for remaining loyal, but he had more important things on his mind.

It took a while, but Suzaku eventually broke through the layers of security protocols and reluctant aides and managed to get the location of the Emperor's destination.

Kamine island.

Suzaku no longer had it in him to be surprised.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch woke up face-to-face with C.C. and his with head in a strange girl's lap. Not a stranger's, but definitely a strange girl. Also notable was that he no longer had his mask on.

"A-Anya…" Lelouch groaned as he sat up, uncomfortable with the maternal way she was stroking his hair. "What are you…" He looked around, at the strange but vaguely familiar surroundings. He had the feeling that he'd been there before, but he wasn't sure when or why. The trees of the forest looked familiar, the formations of the rocks around the nearby cave… the series of caves itself…

"Kamine?"

Anya laughed. "Well done. I'm so proud of you, Lelouch."

Lelouch frowned, still quite confused. "You're…" He met C.C.'s emotionless eyes and everything that had happened came back to him. He felt like quite the fool for rushing after C.C. since, with her memories and powers back, she could clearly take care of herself. It had been a purely emotional reaction and, with Nunnally dead, he was supposed to be above that now.

Also, it would appear that she'd betrayed him, if his memories were to be trusted.

He turned away from C.C., and faced Anya. "Are you working under my father's orders?"

Anya shrugged, and Lelouch noticed how much livelier she was than the girl he remembered from Ashford. Then again, he was hardly in a position to criticize others for wearing a different mask in different situations. "That depends on your definition of the word 'orders'. And 'working'. Also 'under'…"

"What are we doing here?" Lelouch asked more directly.

"Waiting for you to wake up," Anya answered with a cheeky grin. "And now we're going to take you inside the cave to meet with Charles. Okay?"

As Anya spoke, her hands tightened on Lelouch's shoulders, and Lelouch realized that this was less an offer and more a command. He was at her mercy, alone and unarmed, with only a treacherous witch as a witness. He still couldn't believe… after everything that had happened, with his Mao and his father and Suzaku and _Nunnally_ that she would actually betray him. Hadn't he cared for her when she'd lost herself? Hadn't he done everything he could to protect her? Hadn't he gone so far as to race after her without even letting his Black Knights know which, in hindsight, was pretty damn stupid.

In fact, Lelouch was convinced that that was what hurt the most. The fact that she'd played him for a fool, possibly this whole time. The betrayal itself was secondary, and only important in that he'd had faith in her pledge that they were allies, partners.

They were nothing to each other in reality. That much was clear now.

Anya's grip shifted from holding Lelouch to almost… soothing him? She was getting weirder and weirder. "You're so tense. Relax, no one wants to hurt you here. We all have your best interests in mind."

Lelouch wrenched himself away, scrambling to his feet. "My best interests? A Knight of Rounds and a treacherous witch? You're part of the same army that tried to kill me and destroy everything I've worked for, and she's made that possible! You've kidnapped me and betrayed me and _you killed my sister_!"

The sound of Anya's palm slapping Lelouch's cheek with enough force to rock his head back echoed from the surrounding rock.

"Stop throwing a fit over the unfairness of it all and _do something_, Lelouch. Your father and I are tired of this petulance, as adorable as it was when you first started. We've indulged you enough, I think, and now it's time for you to grow up."

"Who the hell are you to talk to me like that?" Lelouch demanded indignantly, one hand covering his stinging cheek. "Just because you're my father's servant…"

Anya drew her gun, effectively shutting Lelouch up. C.C. reacted for the first time, stepping forward with her hand outstretched towards Anya. "Marianne…"

"I'm willing to shoot you," Anya explained coolly, "but I don't really want to." Lelouch stared at her in disbelief, as if he never would have expected an elite enemy to actually pull a weapon on him. Anya's gaze encompassed both him and C.C. "I just want to make sure we're all on the same page."

Lelouch nodded and slowly held his hands out in front of him. "What do you want?" His couldn't prevent his tone from being resentful and angry, but at least he managed not to snap. He had to make it out of here alive and return to his soldiers and Kallen. Those who had been loyal to him, if for no other reason than because C.C., who'd been far from loyal, wouldn't want him to.

Anya looked pleased with his cooperation. "Nothing much. Just a little family reunion."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

The sun was just setting as the Lancelot Albion landed within sight of the cave Suzaku had been directed to. Schneizel had ordered radio silence on this mission, for the obvious reason that it was technically treason (and regicide, and patricide-by-proxy), but Suzaku quickly set up the Lancelot to send a signal through to the second prince's direct line if anyone other than himself tampered with it.

Better safe than sorry.

It wasn't that Suzaku was afraid. No, he knew full well that, while he might fail or get injured or even go berserk, he couldn't die. Even if he'd had doubts about the power of the _geass_ placed on him before, the incident with the FLEIA had convinced him – he might not be invulnerable, but he was essentially invincible.

No matter what _he_ wanted. Regardless of his personal choice, or the cost that he would have to pay for his own life.

That had pushed him over the edge. He'd lost the last bit of faith that Euphemia had given him, that kernel of hope that Nunnally had nurtured within him. Now they were both gone and he had _nothing_. Nothing except the realization that faith and hope weren't enough. That sometimes the greater good meant doing something morally wrong. Neither Euphemia nor Nunnally would have approved of what he was doing now. They both would have tried to talk him out of it, and they would have succeeded. But they were gone now, both of them. Because of him and because of Lelouch.

There was a small voice in the back of his mind that suggested that perhaps _Lelouch_ would have approved of this course of action, and understood the motivations behind it. Suzaku ignored it. Lelouch was the last thing he wanted to think about.

But, apparently, Suzaku wasn't going to be given that choice. As he approached the cave, he caught sight of three figures coming from another direction to the same destination. Three easily recognizable figures.

The first thought that crossed Suzaku's mind wasn't why Anya was forcing Lelouch to lead at gunpoint, but why she _didn't_ also have C.C. covered. Then the absurdity of seeing them together like this truly kicked in, just about the same time Anya started waving and Lelouch noticed him.

If looks could kill, Suzaku's _geass_ would have been activated. "What are _you_ doing here?" Lelouch snarled.

"I was wondering the same thing." Suzaku approached carefully. Anya was still the Knight of Six, just as much at the Emperor's service as Gino, and Suzaku was about to become a traitor. "If Zero's been captured…"

Anya chuckled. "Zero doesn't matter anymore. The important thing is that Lelouch is here." She grabbed Lelouch's hand as if she hadn't been pointing a gun at him a second ago and leaned up to kiss his cheek. Suzaku stared as his mind tried to reconcile the action and the fact that this was _Anya_. "It's nice to see you again, Suzaku, but this is really more of an intimate family thing."

Lelouch, who seemed just as shocked as Suzaku by Anya's irrational actions, managed a rather weak snort. "Family? You and C.C. and _that man_ are about as much family to me as Suzaku is." He glared at Suzaku. "In fact, after today, I feel that my regard for Suzaku has come closer to my regard for the man who fathered me."

Betrayal, rejection, the loss of his mother and sister… Suzaku felt that shot, despite how much he truly loathed Lelouch right now. The fact that everything had been caused by a misunderstanding, that Suzaku had never intended to reject or betray Lelouch, that Nunnally's death could only have happened because of the _geass_ that Lelouch had placed on him… none of that really mattered. As much as Suzaku would have liked to argue, Lelouch had every reason to hate him.

But Suzaku had every reason to hate Lelouch right back. And, yes, there was still a part of him that still cared about Lelouch, the same part that lamented the way Schneizel had used him to find Zero. A part of him that made his throat tighten at Lelouch's cold, angry expression. But mostly, Suzaku remembered Narita, and Shirley, and Euphemia. He remembered waking up from blacking out in the middle of a battle surrounded by dead bodies or destroyed Knightmares, or a giant crater where people, _civilians_, had been. He remembered being happy, and how Lelouch had taken away everything that made that happiness possible.

So instead of lowering his head at Lelouch's vitriol, Suzaku raised it, sneering. "That's funny. Because the longer this goes on, the more I see your father in _you_."

Lelouch lunged at him, but Anya caught him and held him back easily. Lelouch still had no idea how to use his body as a weapon, just his words.

It was C.C. who stepped in. "Why doesn't Suzaku come with?"

That was the first time Suzaku had heard her voice in person. It was a nice voice, calm and as musical as a monotone could be. Suzaku instantly hated it.

Lelouch stopped struggling and stared at her. "You're not really suggesting…" Anya reached up and slapped the back of his head.

"Naughty boys don't get a say." She smiled at Suzaku. "Well? We're going to visit Charles. Want to come?"

This was _so weird_. "I… yes. I would like to speak with the Emperor."

Anya laughed, more richly than Suzaku had expected. "Oh, I bet you would. Does Schneizel have any messages for him, or did he just send you on your own?"

"I asked to come."

Lelouch smiled cruelly. "I'm sure you think it was your idea, don't you?" Suzaku glared but didn't answer, grinding his teeth at Lelouch's dark chuckle. "Still merely a tool, Suzaku."

"And what are you, Lelouch?"

Lelouch shrugged. "Even if this ends in disaster, I'll still have my own free will. I'm not sure you even remember what making your own decisions feels like."

It felt bitter. It felt like resentment and anger and fear. "It feels fine."

"Yes, yes, you're both very manly, can we go now?" Anya asked impatiently. "Honestly, all this posturing will be meaningless in a few hours." She grabbed C.C.'s and Lelouch's hands, beaming almost giddily at Suzaku. "Coming?"

Lelouch clearly didn't want him to. That decided Suzaku. "Of course."


	3. The World of C

The cave was just as Suzaku remembered it. Well. Except for the Knight of One guarding it. "Lord Waldstein."

"Suzaku Kururugi and Anya Alstreim. May I ask what you're doing here? Particularly with the missing young prince and C.C."

Anya smiled. "Suzaku came here to assassinate the Emperor, and Lelouch is here because C.C. and I dragged him. But that doesn't matter." Her smile widened until her dimples showed. Suzaku hadn't known Anya had dimples. "Because we're all going to the World of C. Together."

Bismark frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about, Knight of Six, but…"

"Oh, Bismark. Keep up." Anya, holding C.C. by the hand, drew up beside him, standing on tip toes to kiss his cheek. Biskmark's eye widened and darted towards Suzaku, as if he might have any idea what was going on. Suzaku barely had enough time to shrug before C.C. released Anya's hand and touched Bismark's arm.

The way Bismark seized up, a sharp inhale then a cessation of breath, his hands clenching and unclenching, lips parted but no sound escaping him… It was disturbingly familiar to Suzaku. And he knew what would happen next.

He just barely made it to Bismark's side before the Knight of One collapsed, landing heavily in Suzaku's arms. "What the hell?"

"He'll be fine. Probably. He's Bismark, there's nothing in his psyche worse than a few white lies and forgotten birthdays."

Suzaku ignored Anya. "C.C., what did you do?"

"I don't know," C.C. answered easily. "I don't see what he does. Or what you did at Narita." That confirmed Suzaku's suspicions. "It's the collective unconsciousness of the world, mixed in with your personal consciousness. He creates what he sees."

"How can you be so… so _irresponsible_?"

Lelouch laughed. "Yes, because killing people is so much more responsible and measured."

Suzaku glared at him. "In the line of duty…"

"No, I'm agreeing," Lelouch interrupted smoothly. "If C.C.'s powers were more fatal she would have saved me a lot of trouble, after Narita."

"I'm not the one who had a problem with the idea of me dying, Lelouch!" Suzaku snapped back.

"Of course not, you merely–" Lelouch cut himself off, turning to Anya. "What happens now?"

Anya was watching him, not Suzaku, patiently amused and almost affectionate. Suzaku was pretty sure he'd never seen her look at anyone like that before in her life. "Now we go find Charles."

The tension between Lelouch and C.C., while Anya fiddled with a black electronic box in front of a giant mosaic wall, was palpable. Suzaku resisted as long as he could, but the opportunity to nettle Lelouch about this girl, this creature who'd given him the power that had gotten him this far and cost him (and Suzaku) so much was too perfect to resist.

"So. What happened between you two?"

C.C. didn't even look at him, but Lelouch's cold, arrogant stare made up for it. "Schneizel and his army are still hovering over Japan, the Black Knights don't even know I'm gone or where I am, and we're apparently going to confront my father. Do you honestly think I'd be here if I had a choice, Suzaku?"

"You got kidnapped?" Suzaku felt a smile creep over his lips, despite fighting it. "By a _girl_?"

"You can take your macho sexist crap and shove it down your–"

"Did I hit a nerve?" Suzaku was honestly enjoying himself, even if the pleasure he was getting out of this made him a little sick. "Or maybe it's not that she's a girl. Maybe it's that, this time, _you_ were the one betrayed and lied to."

Lelouch glared. "It's hardly the first time, _Sir Kururugi, Knight of Seven_. One would think I'd be used to it by now."

"But you're not," Suzaku said. "You still keep thinking that you're so important that no one could ever bring themselves to use you and throw you away, the way you use and discard so many others."

"Careful tossing stones from that glass house of yours."

"…what?"

Lelouch sighed. "It's an idiom. It means you're a hypocrite, and a mouthy one too." Suzaku was still confused. "You see, think of your words as stones. If you lived in a brick house, say, you could throw them with impunity. But in a glass house, if someone threw those same words (or stones) back at you, your proverbial house would shatter."

"Who builds a house out of glass? That's just stupid."

Anya came up to them at that point. "You two are seriously discussing semantics at the end of the world?"

"It's not semantics, exactly, it's symbolism," Lelouch corrected. "And what do you mean 'the end of the world'?"

"The end of the world as you know it, and the dawning of a new world," Anya said, turning towards C.C. "It's set up. We can even take Suzaku in with us!" She frowned turning back to him and Lelouch. "As long as you two stop spatting. It's really unbecoming of both your stations."

Lelouch snorted. "I'm not promising anything. Leave him here, leave me here, I don't care. I didn't agree to this in the first place."

He had a point. But Suzaku still needed to get close to the Emperor. "I'll stop." No one looked like they believed him. "Well, I'll try."

"Fair enough." Anya took Lelouch's hand. "Now hold hands and make up." Both Suzaku and Lelouch looked at her like she had two heads. Anya rolled her eyes. "You need to do it to get to the World of C."

Lelouch immediately struggled against Anya's grip and tried to evade Suzaku's hand, both without success. "Let go!"

Suzaku was holding Lelouch's hand harder than he really needed to, but when C.C.'s cool hand grasped his free one, Suzaku had an idea of how Lelouch felt. All he wanted was that touch _gone_.

But it was over soon enough. C.C.'s forehead glowed with the same symbol Suzaku had seen when she'd touched Bismark, and the wall glowed in return, and then the cave melted around them, reforming into a completely different world, looking out over an orange sky.

Suzaku let go of Lelouch while wrenching his hand away from C.C.'s. C.C. smiled at him. "You know, Suzaku, you and I are more similar than not."

"What do you mean?" Suzaku asked, inwardly shuddering.

"In that we both wish to die and are unable to." C.C.'s smile had a bitter edge in the moment before it faded. "Please keep that in mind, whatever happens."

Suzaku was about to ask what the hell she meant by that when Lelouch bumped into him, backing away from something.

"Wha… it can't be…"

Suzaku looked up at what Lelouch was retreating from and felt his breath catch in his throat as his eyes widened. There was no way…

He'd only seen her in pictures, slightly crumpled from being carried around in Lelouch's pockets, occasionally smeared with the naturally occurring grease on any little boy's hands no matter how careful and neat they were. In those pictures, she'd been unchanged with age, frozen in a single moment around the time her life had been cut short. Here, in the World of C, she retained that eternal youth, looking barely older than Lelouch himself.

The family resemblance was remarkable.

"Lelouch…" She took a step towards Lelouch, and Lelouch trembled against Suzaku. "Ah, you really are so much taller. Please, let me embrace you."

Lelouch leaned towards her, as if enchanted. "Mother?"

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Since he was ten, Lelouch had two overriding desires in his life; to protect Nunnally and to avenge his mother. He'd failed miserably at the first, but had been steadily making progress with the second. Or so he'd thought.

But now, seeing his mother alive and well and just as he remembered, Lelouch momentarily let himself believe that he'd been mistaken. That his mother's death had just been some horrible misinterpretation and she'd never been shot down mercilessly, that maybe Nunnally hadn't ever been crippled at the same time, that maybe these past eight years had been some horrible dream.

Then his brain caught up with the rest of him.

"Is this some kind of illusion?" He demanded, turning on C.C. "Did you create this?"

"Even the World of C isn't capable of creating something like this out of nothing."

Lelouch froze at the deep voice that answered his question.

"It really is me, Lelouch," Marianne assured him. "However I can only take on my original appearance while I'm present within this system." Lelouch turned to her again, his eyes widening as he took in the image of his father, much older than he had been at the time of Marianne's death, embracing his mother.

"This is… really… _how_?"

"_Geass_," Marianne answered simply.

"How could…"

"My _geass_ power was to cross over into another person's mind. I hid inside Anya to save myself from being killed by V.V." Marianne smiled as if she was just discussing the weather. "Once I gained control, I realized I could communicate mind to mind with C.C. When I told her what happened, she left the _Geass_ Order."

Suzaku stared at her. "So, the blackouts…"

"That was me!" Marianne said. "The girl had some natural talent, but she's not nearly the pilot I am. And I couldn't have her dying on me, now could I?"

"How cold…"

Lelouch stepped forward. "So this… everything was V.V.'s fault? I don't buy it! You _chose_ to exile me and Nunnally, both of you!"

"It was necessary!" Charles snapped.

"Necessary how?" Lelouch demanded.

Charles let go of Marianne. "I sent both you and your sister to Japan to hide you from my brother. That's also why I had Marianne's body secretly taken away. It was to protect you."

"Protect us?" Lelouch asked, in disbelief. "You sent us into the hands of your enemies…"

"And you survived. Thrived, even, to the point that C.C. was able to form a contract with you." Charles looked oddly… proud. "Even your actions as Zero were useful, as Marianne couldn't convince C.C. to join us on her own."

Marianne smiled. "And now you can stop. Everything you've done, everything you've endured… it's over now, Lelouch. All you need to do is relax and let us take care of you, of the whole world."

"I suppose there's nothing else I _can_ do is there?" Lelouch asked, feeling genuinely resigned at this point. "I've never had any true power at all."

"That's not true," Suzaku said, unsheathing his sword. "What's that saying you taught me? Even a cat can look at a king?"

Lelouch stumbled back, a horrific idea of what Suzaku meant occurring to him. If Suzaku had no idea that Charles was immortal now, and he was planning on… "Suzaku, don–"

It was too late. Suzaku darted forward, unnaturally fast and easily dodging Marianne's instinctive block to plunge his sword into Charles's chest.

"Your Majesty, you are charged with two capital crimes. First, abandoning your responsibilities as Emperor to your son. And second, dirtying your hands with the power of _geass_."

Lelouch rubbed at his head, already feeling the headache that Suzaku's sanctimoniousness usually brought out in him. "Suzaku, seriously…"

Charles fell over, dead to all appearances. Marianne scowled at Suzaku. "I believe it's traditional to inform the accused of his crimes _before_ executing him." She bent down and retrieved Suzaku's sword, wiping it clean of her husband's blood. "I think I'll keep this for now. I'm not sure you deserve such a nice toy."

Suzaku just stood there looking confused. Lelouch watched him idly, waiting for him to jump as Charles took a deep, sudden breath and sat up, covered in blood but no less alive than before Suzaku had stabbed him. "What the…"

"Your trinkets can't harm me, boy."

"Is… is this because of the World of C?"

"No," Lelouch said, moving beside Suzaku. "It's because my father carries a _code_, like C.C. He's immortal."

Charles ignored both of them. "No more idle chatter. It's time. C.C.!"

Suzaku took a step back, bumping into Lelouch, when Charles's palm started glowing, activating a similar glow from C.C.'s forehead, the same glow Suzaku remembered from the other times she'd activated her _code_. "Lelouch, is this…"

"The beginning of the end." Lelouch managed a smile. "Something inevitable and intractable. Something impossible to stop. But, you know what, Suzaku?"

"…what?"

"You're right. Even a cat may look at a king." Lelouch's smile hardened. "And I'm willing to do more than look." He stood between his father and C.C., just as the sky crashed around them in a tempest of agonized souls.

"Lelouch." Charles did not look amused. "What are you doing?"

"I'm standing against you, directly like I should have from the start. I reject you! And I reject everything you believe! This world you're creating is just you imposing your desires on the rest of the world. Change is neither innately good nor bad, and yet you're taking the choice out of the hands of the people who are just living their lives without any idea that you want them destroyed for your more perfect world!"

Charles looked like he was about to explode. Marianne placed a restraining hand on his arm and addressed Lelouch. "Does this mean you reject me too, Lelouch? After everything…"

"If you want this as well, then yes! Your world might be better, and it might be worse. The wars and strife in _this_ world, the struggles and ambitions, are all from people trying to mold the world into their image, just as you're doing now. This isn't what Nunnally would have wanted, nor Euphy!"

"But this way you can see Euphy again, speak with her. If we succeed…"

That shocked Lelouch to the core. If that was true… "Is that why you left Nunnally and me in Japan? Because it didn't matter if we lived or died because this would _make it all better_?"

"Lelouch…"

"It hardly matters," Charles interrupted. "There's nothing to be done about it. The Ragnarok Connection has already begun. It cannot be stopped."

"You think so? I am Zero! The man who works miracles." Lelouch stepped forward and looked directly into the eye of the storm that raged above their heads, removing his contact with a practised twist of his wrist. "And I'm your son in that I'm arrogant enough to address the collective unconsciousness of the world directly."

"You're a fool, Lelouch! God cannot be defeated by a mere human _geass_!"

For a moment Lelouch felt like he was falling up, into the chaos that hovered over him. Then he felt the steadying grip of Suzaku's hand around his wrist, grounding him, and he rallied. "I don't intend to defeat anyone! This is a request! God! Collective unconscious! Please, keep moving towards the tomorrow that _everyone_ wishes for!"

A sharp slash of pain lanced through his head as he felt his _geass_ evolve, taking over both his eyes. It was blinding and soothing, bright and dark, and it took his breath away. But it worked. For a moment, the tortured souls of the collective unconsciousness shone with the _geass_ sigil, and then the connection his father and mother had worked so hard to create collapsed, disintegrating into nothingness.

The World of C was answering Lelouch's call, or it was using his power to fight against the power that Charles had started. Either way, Lelouch watched with satisfaction as his father's dream crashed and faded in front of them.

"You ungrateful little brat!" Marianne drew Suzaku's sword and flew at Lelouch in a fury. Lelouch barely had the energy to step back, never mind block or properly retreat, but then Suzaku was there, catching the blade in his open hands and twisting so that in landed with a clatter on the floor.

"Give up! It's over." Suzaku sounded as tired as Lelouch felt. Lelouch braced himself against Suzaku as he stood up to face his parents.

"This is the answer the world gives to your attempts to change it."

Charles shook his head in denial. "No… C.C., we can still…"

C.C. turned away. "No. It's over, Charles."

Lelouch's eyes widened as he realized _how_ accurate that was. "You're…"

It was only then that Charles and Marianne realized what was actually happening. They were vanishing, from the feet up, faster the more of them was consumed. "This can't be… I'm immortal, I can't be absorbed into the World of C!"

"Why isn't C.C.…"

"It doesn't matter," Lelouch said, exhausted. "This is what you get, I suppose, for imposing your own desires over other people's." He turned away as well, unwilling to watch their final, moments.

The World of C was a fitting resting place for both of them.

The darkness that enveloped the World of C after it had consumed both Charles and Marianne was gloomy and pervasive. Lelouch let in sink in for a long moment before turning to C.C.

"Are you going too?"

"No. When death comes for me, I plan to be smiling." C.C. certainly wasn't smiling now. "What about you two?"

Suzaku looked up from where he was bent over, picking up his sword. "Huh?"

"You both rejected this plan, the world it would have created. But that means you're stuck with this world and…"

Suzaku nodded, straightening up with his sword up _en guard_. "I know. In this world, Lelouch is still the one who killed Euphy."

Lelouch shrugged. "And you killed Nunnally."

"That's not… your stupid _geass_…" Suzaku's arm trembled and Lelouch doubted that fatigue would have set in already. "I never meant to…"

"No? Someone _forced_ you to carry that weapon?" Suzaku's mouth snapped shut and Lelouch pushed his advantage. "You knew the risks, you knew what could happen, and you took the chance. You _gambled_ with my sister's life and _lost_." It was almost painful how Lelouch could have changed every 'you' for an 'I' and still been right, only talking about Euphemia.

Suzaku shook his head. "I tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen. You _never_ listen!"

"Can you really blame me for not trusting you? Suzaku Kururugi, the boy who turned his back on his own country and rose through the ranks by treachery and deceit?" Lelouch stepped forward, well within striking rage for Suzaku. "How far will you go, Suzaku, to shrug off the blame you carry? Now that you can no longer die to atone for your sins, are you unable to accept them?"

Suzaku lowered his blade and his eyes, and Lelouch felt the rush of victory. Just a few more words, the promise of atonement, and Suzaku would be…

The ceiling shuddered above them, and the muffled sounds of explosions came from the wall that Lelouch suspected connected to the back of the cave. He cursed. "Bismark…"

"And Anya," Suzaku reminded him. The unmistakable sound of slash harkens firing followed and Lelouch knew it would only be a matter of time before the wall fell. "Lelouch… it's over. They have Knightmares and you're outnumbered. You've stopped your parents, just… isn't it enough?"

Lelouch snorted. "As long as Britannia rules over people it has no right to rule over… That's what this war is about now. There's no _geass_ or revenge or anything to get in my way. All that's left is creating a world that's fair, at least. That gives everyone the same chance at happiness. The world Nunnally and Euphy would have really wanted…"

"So you're really going to do it?" Suzaku demanded. "You're going to follow the same path your parents did, right after you refused to support their vision?"

"No. I'm simply fixing their errors," Lelouch said. "Britannia is a mistake, a tool that existed only for this purpose. It's no longer needed, and it's toxic." Lelouch smiled up at Suzaku, coldly. "Can you deny this, Suzaku? The innate unfairness and cultural poison that is the Britannian Empire?"

"It… it doesn't have to be that way," Suzaku said. "It could be better. With your father gone, with Prince Schneizel in charge…"

Lelouch laughed. "If you seriously believe Schneizel is any kind of an _improvement_–"

"It doesn't matter," Suzaku interrupted. "It doesn't matter what you think anymore, Lelouch." He held his sword out, not quite threatening, but definitely brandishing. "In a few seconds, Sir Bismark will be here, with reinforcements on the way. You've lost."

And it would be a harder loss to return from than when Suzaku had turned him in to his father. Schneizel wasn't the type to take the kind of chances Charles had taken with Lelouch. "I'll find a way, Suzaku. There's _always_ a way." Even if it meant simply writing letters from prison, having to strategize behind bars, or even trusting in Xingke and Toudou to follow his wishes and work towards freeing the Britannian Areas without him.

Then the wall fell.

Lelouch had seen images of Bismark's Galahad. It was an impressive Knightmare, agile and powerful, very fitting for the man who piloted it.

It looked nothing like the fiery red of the Guren that came into focus as the dust from the crumbling rock fell away.

"…_Kallen_?"

Undoubtedly as surprised as Lelouch, but faster to move, Suzaku grabbed Lelouch by the shoulder, holding his sword steady at Lelouch's throat. "Don't move!"

Lelouch laughed, unafraid in Suzaku's hold. "Really, Suzaku. After advising me to take my loss graciously, this is how you react?"

"Let him go!" Kallen's voice rang out from the Guren's speakers. "We have this place surrounded and the Knight of Six as a hostage."

_Anya_. Lelouch could feel Suzaku tense at that, no doubt his overprotective impulses flaring up over the girl who was basically innocent and a victim of this whole mess. It was Nunnally's SAZ all over again, Suzaku's compassion working in Lelouch's favour.

"What about Sir Bismark?" Suzaku demanded, not letting go of Lelouch. "Where is he?"

There was a sort of hesitant static before Kallen's response. "I'm sorry, I… I didn't think to stop him until Bismark was already dead."

"Him?" Lelouch couldn't think of many Black Knights who'd kill without an order, or at least without hesitation. Beat, yes. Lelouch could see Tamaki taking his frustration out on a bound Knight of the Rounds. But something that amounted to murder?

The rubble shifted and Anya, looking both resigned and frustrated appeared at the top of the unstable mound, held at knife-point in front of someone Lelouch hadn't expected to see again.

"He has a _geass_, nii-san. He'd have been impossible to defeat if he'd been conscious."

"Rolo…" Lelouch breathed. "What are you doing here?"

"He led us here, once we figured out you were missing. I should have thought of it, but it slipped my mind. Rolo was the one who knew where to find you."

Lelouch frowned. It made sense that Rolo would know where he was, but… "Why?"

"Because you needed me, nii-san."

Lelouch snorted, wincing when Suzaku's blade nicked him. "After everything…"

Rolo smiled. "It's okay. Because nii-san is a liar, right? From the very start…"

"He does have a point," Suzaku agreed readily. "Look, let Anya go and we'll talk. We both know that Lelouch is a much more valuable hostage."

Rolo nodded. "True. But I don't think you're going to kill him in cold blood, Sir Kururugi. You would have done that ages ago if you were capable of it. Whereas we both know exactly what I'm capable of."

Lelouch raised an eyebrow despite the fact that Suzaku, pressed against his back, likely couldn't see it. "He _does_ have a point."

"Shut up." Suzaku raised his voice. "Fine. I'll let him go." Lelouch could feel the tension in Suzaku's body as he was stuck, once again between a rock and a hard place.

"He'll let her go," Lelouch assured him softly. "She'll be fine. And you'll recover from this as well. After all, you did accomplish your mission." And, frankly, Bismark's death was likely a bonus if Schneizel wanted people in the higher ranks whom he trusted.

Suzaku removed his sword from where it was resting against Lelouch's neck and shoved him away. "You're not seriously trying to comfort me, are you?"

Lelouch pressed his palm against the shallow, stinging slash left on the soft skin of his throat. "Me? Never, Suzaku." He looked at C.C. "What are you planning on doing?"

C.C. looked back at him, her face carefully blank. "I don't suppose you'd want me back, after all that."

Lelouch gave a light laugh, looking away. "You betrayed me, for the sake of a future you yourself abandoned. How can I consider you my ally after all that?"

"You still need to fulfill your contract with me."

"How _dare_ you…" Lelouch snapped, incensed. He owed her _nothing_. "You sided with my mother and father for that. You reap what you sow, witch."

C.C. just nodded. "Nevertheless…"

Lelouch's eyes narrowed. If he left her, there was only one place she could go – with Suzaku to Schneizel's side. And that was unthinkable. "Very well. But consider the trust between us broken."

C.C. seemed to accept that willingly enough, climbing over the debris and past where Rolo was holding Anya without a side glance. Rolo let her past, then turned his attention back to Suzaku. "Once Lelouch is secured, I'll release the Knight of Six."

"Just let her go now."

Rolo shook his head. "Not until Lelouch is safe."

Lelouch shot Suzaku a curious look, trying to read his expression. Suzaku looked genuinely pained, but waved Lelouch to go. Lelouch hesitated, not really enjoying this half-baked victory, particularly after standing side-by-side with Suzaku against his parents only moments ago. "Suzaku…"

"Just go. All that matters is getting Anya out of here, safe."

Lelouch hesitated one moment longer, then bowed his head and turned to leave. "I suppose we'll meet again soon enough."

"On the battlefield."

"Indeed." Lelouch passed Rolo, placing a hand on his false brother's shoulder as he walked past. "Don't hurt her, Rolo. You know how I feel about my brother having to do things like that."

Rolo face lit up. "Yes, nii-san."

Lelouch just sighed as the Guren bent down to pick him up, placing him on the opposite shoulder from C.C. Kallen was more diplomatic than she seemed.

Still, somehow, Lelouch couldn't tear his eyes away from Suzaku, bent over Anya as he made sure she was alright.

Three small explosions briefly lit up the sky as the Guren left the island. "What was that?"

"The Lancelot, the Mordred, and the Galahad. Rolo does clean up well from a mission."

Kallen's somewhat sardonic tone made Lelouch smile despite himself. He had to get back on track, work on focusing on his role as Zero rather than his feelings as Lelouch. Stranding Suzaku and Anya was good strategic policy, and it wasn't as if they'd suffer with their training and the abundance of food and clean water on the island. Besides, rescue would undoubtedly come within a day or so. And they were the enemy.

Lelouch had to keep reminding himself of that.


	4. Lelouch vi Britannia, Zero

Zero's mask was somewhere on the island (possibly in the Mordred before Rolo had disabled it) so Lelouch returned to the Black Knights as himself. There was a tense moment as he stepped out from the Guren, surrounded by dozens (possibly hundreds) of his soldiers. He probably looked dishevelled, he certainly looked young, and he definitely looked Britannian. There was no hiding any of that.

Toudou and the others were there, waiting as well, but none of them made a move towards him, either in support or in suspicion. Kallen had radioed back the circumstances of Zero's apparent defection, and his return, but it looked like that might not have been enough.

Rolo dropped down from the Vincent, standing beside and slightly behind Lelouch. It was support, of a kind, but from an untrusted Britannian child even younger than Lelouch himself. It meant nothing. Jeremiah, just returned from his futile search for Nunnally or her remains, started towards Lelouch, but stopped at the faint shake of Lelouch's head. He couldn't afford to be surrounded by Britannian allies right now.

"Zero!" The cheerful voice, just a little bit different without the mask filtering it, rang through the heavy tension in the air, seemingly oblivious to it. "I'm so glad you're back!"

Kaguya burst from the crowd of Black Knights, her arms open and her smile warm and wide. "You shouldn't make your wife worry like that!"

Lelouch had never had any problems with Kaguya when he'd been Zero, but as Lelouch her tight embrace felt weird. Lelouch, with very few exceptions, didn't hug.

Before he could make a fool of himself, however, Tamaki of all people came to his rescue. "Yeah, man! Next time _call_ before you get kidnapped!"

There was a bit of awkward laughter and Lelouch realized that he had a chance here. "My apologies. I should certainly have reported to the Interior Custodian before making any moves."

The laughter was more genuine now that it was at Tamaki's expense. But Lelouch managed a warm smile, like the ones he gave to the girls he didn't really want to date, and Tamaki melted disturbingly easily.

"Zero, the Britannian forces have been immobile for the past few hours since your absence," Toudou reported, and the atmosphere darkened. "There have been numerous reports of earthquakes and other natural disasters that started soon after you disappeared and continued until just before Kallen radioed in that they'd located you."

Lelouch ignored the obvious question hidden in that report and nodded. "The Emperor of Britannia is dead." There were numerous gasps, some cheers, and an unsettled murmuring that followed that announcement. This meant a lot of things, potentially, many of them good, but most importantly it meant unpredictability. "Prince Schneizel will most likely take effective control of Britannia over the next few days." Lelouch's smile sharpened. "If we allow it, that is."

"Hey, yeah! We've got him pinned down here!" Tamaki grinned, punching his fist into the air.

"Pinned down with access to the same FLEIA that caused so much damage in Tokyo," Chiba reminded him sternly. "Zero, can we take the chance of him using it again?"

It wasn't even a chance, it was a practical certainty. If he was pressed, there was no doubt in Lelouch's mind that Schneizel would launch the FLEIA as many times as necessary to ensure victory over whatever remained once he was done. "It's a factor. But there are ways of engaging an enemy that would occupy them for days or even weeks, but still make using the FLEIA a political impossibility. And Schneizel, while he may hold military rank, is first and foremost a politician."

"A standoff?" Toudou asked, quickly following Lelouch's implications.

Lelouch smiled. "It would be interesting to see if, in his boredom, he chooses to place his king in check once again. I've certainly learned from my past mistakes, and would not hesitate this time to take it from him!"

He hadn't expected the cheer. It hadn't been a grand speech, or even a brilliant plan. Just a moment of genuine frustration that leaked out. But the Black Knights responded to it as avidly as they'd responded to some of his most scripted and grandiose moments, cheering and then chanting his name.

Only this time, instead of only 'Zero!', there were the occasional cries of 'Lelouch!' as well.

It was the first time Lelouch had been praised as himself. As his _real_ self. He wouldn't have thought it would have mattered. Zero's actions were his, and Zero's adulation had been his as well. But this, the way his name rang out from the crowd of soldiers who'd been willing to die for Zero, slowly and gradually replacing and overwhelming the cries for his persona of Zero…

It spoke of acceptance. Of belonging. Zero had never been Japanese, but Lelouch was Britannian and a prince and yet _still_, the cries and praise welcomed him here. Home.

After Nunnally's death, this was all Lelouch had left. But it was far from insignificant.

Kallen came up beside him, and took his hand. "_Okaeri_, Lelouch."

Lelouch turned to her with a smile. "_Tadaima_." The chants and cheers exploded into riotous applause and spontaneous celebration. It was probably, without Lelouch even planning it, the most optimistic, happy, and genuine Black Knight gathering he'd even seen.

He couldn't stop smiling, not even when Rolo pressed against his side, forcing Lelouch to either wrap an arm around his shoulders or stand awkwardly against him. Lelouch was in a good enough mood to tolerate the embrace. Rolo had earned it, coming back for… no, _to_ him.

It would have been a perfect moment, a perfect omen for the start of his renewed campaign against his elder brother, except that he caught a glimpse of C.C., quietly sneaking away under the noise and chaos of the celebration.

Lelouch had always considered her eyes expressionless, flat. He saw now that that wasn't true. There had always been _something _there. Amusement, pity, sadness, even just a cool assessment or a mild hope.

Now there was nothing. No sadness or regret, which Lelouch had almost expected after her defeat on Kamine island, but the small sliver of hope that had given her eyes some light, even when she'd been caught up in melancholia, was gone.

It left a pall over the celebratory atmosphere for Lelouch, no matter how hard he worked to push it out of his mind.

And he worked hard at it. Because the last thing he wanted to do was to fall into the trap of trusting and caring for C.C. again.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Suzaku _hated_ this.

He'd been retrieved with Anya and Bismark's body mere hours after Lelouch had left the island with Kallen and C.C. That had been more than enough time, however, for Lelouch's pet assassin to disable the Lancelot Albion, and in such a way that the unique Knightmare would take significant time to repair. The Mordred had been fixed within a day, and the Galahad had stood untended and forlorn in a corner as the techs scrambled to repair and maintain the Knightmares that had pilots, ignoring the one whose pilot was dead and useless.

Although Suzaku shouldn't, as he'd recently learned, throw stones from glass houses. He was very nearly as useless as Bismark with the Albion in its third day of repairs and Lloyd refusing to even talk to him.

Prince Schneizel, on the other hand, was _more_ than willing to talk with him.

This was the second private supper Suzaku had been invited to, with just him and the prince and Cornelia, and Kanon serving. There was probably a lot of subtle interplay going on, with, like cutlery layouts and napkin positions, but Suzaku didn't give a damn, given that it was taking everything he had to follow the less subtle proceedings.

Schneizel was pretending he wanted Suzaku's military advice and that was blatantly implausible. Suzaku knew exactly what he was good at – he was a weapon, to be aimed at enemies. He wasn't a plotter or a thinker. He'd tried that, against Lelouch, and it had failed miserably, ending up with Lelouch playing him and the eventual death of Nunnally and the last good thing Suzaku had in his life.

He had only one goal now. To stop whatever Lelouch was doing.

But it wasn't as though he thought he was the best person to decide how to do that. That was what commanders were for, generals and field marshals and _royalty_. Cornelia and Schneizel.

And having them both look at him expectantly, as if _he_ was supposed to figure out this situation when he couldn't even leave the flagship until Lloyd decided that one of the two damaged Lancelots was battle-worthy, was ridiculous.

"It's been three days and Lelouch hasn't pursued any advantage or opening we've left him. Do you have any theories as to why?"

No. Honestly, Lelouch was a risk taker. Suzaku couldn't imagine Lelouch being satisfied with the half-hearted battles Suzaku had watched from the sidelines these past two days. "Maybe he's trying to avoid traps?"

Cornelia leaned forward. "Do you seriously think that, Kururugi?"

"…no," Suzaku admitted. "I don't know why he's doing this. It's like he's not even trying."

Schneizel smiled approvingly. "Indeed. Like he's not trying. To win."

That sounded significant. "Well… what else would he want?"

"That's an excellent question, Sir Kururugi," Schneizel said. "And I would like you to ask him that when you speak with him tomorrow."

He _had_ to be joking. "What?"

Cornelia was smirking, but with an amusement that was devoid of any cruelty. "He's agreed to a parlay tomorrow. We thought, given your history, you would be the best candidate to represent Britannia's interests."

Was this just a juxtaposition thing? A Britannian representing Japan and a Japanese representing Britannia? Some kind of strange aesthetic? That was the stupidest thing Suzaku had ever heard. "With all due respect, Your Highnesses, I think that perhaps a different envoy might be more… politic." A horrible thought occurred to him. "Unless Lelouch specifically asked for me…"

"Oh, no." Schneizel laughed. "Nothing like that. I simply believe that, as the future Knight of One, you should have a voice in these matters, and a prominent one." He slid a slip of paper over to Suzaku with a benign smile. "Here is a list of concessions we're willing to make if Lelouch will agree to a cessation of hostilities and permit the withdrawal of a portion of our forced back to Britannia."

Suzaku frowned. He had no idea why Britannia would need some of the army back home, but these were the types of matters that were normally left up to commanders, not people like Suzaku. And it wasn't his place to question a prince.

It didn't escape him that Schneizel had reinstated his promise to make Suzaku the Knight of One. He had no reason to lie and Suzaku was more than willing to trust him. Schneizel had been forthright and upfront in his dealings thus far, which was more than Suzaku could claim. He unfolded the list and scanned it.

"What?"

The first few were standard. Freedom from prosecution for the foot soldiers of the Black Knights. Reopening negotiations with the U.F.N., and formal acknowledgement of their position on the world stage. Then favourable trade offers, tokens offered as symbols of good intent, even the offer to reinstate Lelouch into the royal family, a privilege he'd given up eight years ago. That made Suzaku's blood boil, the thought of Lelouch retuning to the family he'd slaughtered his way through.

But it was the last thing on the list that caused the involuntary exclamation when Suzaku read it. The immediate and complete liberation of Area 11 from Britannia rule, with the only caveat being the humane evacuation of all Britannians who chose to leave within a reasonable time frame.

"What is this…" It wasn't a negotiation. Schneizel was handing Lelouch a complete victory. "How can you…"

"Area 11… Japan, is Lelouch's rallying point. He is known for fighting for it. If Japan is no longer on the line, a great deal of his momentum dies."

But that would be because he would have _won_.

…or would it? After all, Lelouch wasn't really interested in Japan _per se_. He was interested in two things – vengeance against Britannia and his promise to Nunnally. Neither of those were as focused on Japan as Lelouch had made it seem. In fact, winning Japan might be dangerously distracting, as his next step wouldn't be clear, and he wouldn't have the same mandate and support.

But it would leave Japan, ultimately, in his hands, and that sat poorly with Suzaku.

"Of course, you will be the one negotiating, Sir Kururugi. If you can get him to agree to the temporary truce without playing that card… well, I would be mightily impressed. But should you need it, feel free to use it."

Suzaku bowed formally to Schneizel. "Yes, Your Highness." For the first time, Suzaku wanted this responsibility. He wanted to sit across from Lelouch and _know_ that it was in his power to give Lelouch what he'd fought so hard for, what he'd _killed_ for, with nothing more than a casual sentence.

A sentence he would _never _say.

Suzaku ignored the small voice in the back of his mind that added: "Just like you'd never fire the FLEIA." That wasn't a fair comparison at all.

The meeting took place over a video connection, with Suzaku in the conference room of his flagship and Lelouch in his. There was no formal cessation of hostilities, but both armies were held back, watching for the other side to make the first move. It gave Schneizel a bit of an advantage since both he and Cornelia, the military leaders, would be free and Lelouch, the Black Knight's chief military leader, would be tied up in negotiations.

But Suzaku was pretty sure Schneizel wouldn't make a move. He seemed to be counting on the negotiations succeeding, or at least that was the impression he had made to Suzaku. Suzaku shook off those thoughts, hating the part of himself that mistrusted Schneizel when all the prince had been was honest and straightforward. Just because there were occasional habits and subtleties of his that strongly reminded Suzaku of Lelouch.

As if that thought summoned him, the video connection hummed on and Lelouch suddenly appeared before Suzaku, dressed as Zero, but with his face exposed, even highlighted by the new collar design.

He spoke before Suzaku could. "Where is Schneizel?"

"On the bridge, with Princess Cornelia," Suzaku answered promptly. There were times when Lelouch could be highly predictable. "I'm representing His Highness in these negotiations and, by extension, the Britannian army."

"Oh. Really." Lelouch steepled his fingers and looked away, his eyes drifting towards the upper left corner of the screen. "Very well." He stood up and turned to leave.

That _bastard_! "Wait a second, Lelouch! _You_ agreed to this parlay, you can't just walk out."

Lelouch turned to look at him, amused. "Of course I can, Suzaku. Just because I agreed to this, that doesn't mean I can't change my mind." He smirked. "But I'm not. I just want to fetch a few more people, to show you how… seriously I'm taking this."

"You're…" Great. The negotiations hadn't started yet and already Lelouch was toying with him.

"You may gather people of your own as well, of course. After all, appropriate support _is_ important."

Suzaku hesitated in the minutes after Lelouch left the room, his mind racing. He could get Kanon or Cecile or someone, but… wasn't that was Lelouch wanted him to do? Maybe it was better not to get anyone.

…on the other hand, Lelouch had left for reinforcements. Maybe he was uncomfortable confronting Suzaku on his own. Who would he get? Kallen? Toudou? C.C.? _Kaguya_?

Before Suzaku could decide one way or the other, Lelouch returned with Rolo and a man Suzaku didn't even recognize.

"I invited Rakshata as well, but she's busy working on a defence against FLEIA," Lelouch said, as if that was an explanation. "So only Rolo and Tamaki will be joining us." Rolo took a seat, not even bothering to look at the screen.

"_Yoroshiku_!" Tamaki drawled, lounging in his chair. Suzaku wondered if he was really as unprofessional as he seemed, or if this was some kind of trick.

Well, one thing for sure he knew Lelouch was lying about. "There's no way you could be already developing a defence against the FLEIA bomb. You don't even know–"

"Unstable uranium, triggered by a conventional explosive to achieve a chain-reaction reaching a critical mass," Lelouch recited. "Basically a nuclear fission weapon." He smiled at Suzaku's stupefied expression. "Once certain Britannian scientists saw the effect of the weapon they'd helped develop, they were more than willing to share that information to someone who promised to ensure it would never happen again."

Suzaku snorted. He could more than understand that feeling. "I bet you didn't even have to use your _geass_."

"No, I did not. Nina wasn't among the traitors, in case you were wondering."

"This is _boring_," Tamaki said suddenly. "Hey, are you Brits surrendering or not?"

"No, we…" _well, maybe_. "We would like to discuss terms of a mutual withdrawal, or at least a way that part of our forces could return to Britannia."

Lelouch sighed. "Showing your hand so early, Suzaku?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"I mean that the war is here, and Britannia has a sizeable army already at home. What military reason could there be for moving troops away from an unwon battle and towards unchallenged territory?"

Suzaku shrugged. "I don't know. But that's what we want."

Lelouch leaned back and waved his hand. Tamaki grinned and leaned forward. "What'll ya give us for it?"

Ah. So this was what Lelouch meant by showing Suzaku how seriously he was taking this. Not at all. Nice.

Still, at least Suzaku was talking to _someone_. "Full pardons for anyone not in the upper echelons of the Black Knights, and negotiable sentences for the commanders."

"What?" Tamaki laughed. "That's like saying we're criminals! When we kick your butts out of Japan, we'll be heroes!"

_You _are_ criminals_. "You're not going to win."

"Assume that's a possibility while you negotiate with us, Suzaku," Lelouch suggested. "It will make things run smoother."

"Look, you're not… you're not winning _anything_. We've fought you to a standstill every time and you never make an inch of headway! Area 11 is still Britannian and you're still fighting."

To Suzaku's surprise, his words made Lelouch smile and Tamaki outright laugh. "Is he serious? He's serious. Oi, Zero, he has no idea…"

"And I think I'd like to keep it that way, Tamaki," Lelouch said. "Continue the negotiations, Suzaku, please. Consider your first offer rejected."

Suzaku had had about enough. "How would you like to be a prince again, Lelouch?"

The humour drained from Lelouch's face and Rolo sat up, suddenly attentive. "Nii-san…"

"I beg your pardon." Lelouch spoke over whatever Rolo was about to say.

"Schneizel's offering you a place with your family again. And further up the line of succession, since you killed so many family members." Only Clovis really counted for that, and Charles, but it had more impact this way.

Lelouch frowned thoughtfully at that. "Yes… I think I'd be fifteenth in line by now…"

"Thirteenth," Suzaku corrected, looking down at the sheet Schneizel had given him. "Apparently you beat out a couple of cousins, since Schneizel feels your mother's rank should have been considered nobility as she was a Knight of the Rounds."

"Not after she married she wasn't," Lelouch said, still thoughtful.

"Zero, you're not really considering–"

"Stop calling him that! His name is Lelouch!" Suzaku hadn't meant to yell that. It was just annoying, the way Tamaki kept calling Lelouch 'Zero' and laughing with him and acting like he was Lelouch's friend when he didn't even call him by name and…

Lelouch just looked at Suzaku. "Indeed. One must always, and only, use given names. Isn't that right, Knight of Seven?"

"That's not what I–" It should have changed things, what Schneizel did in revealing Zero as Lelouch and exposing the secret of _geass_. If nothing else, Lelouch should have had to fight as himself and not behind the security of another identity. He hadn't earned anything by calling himself Zero, it had no intrinsic meaning, so why keep calling him that?

And why did Suzaku hate it so much?

"So far you've offered something less than what we'd gain by victory, and something I don't want," Lelouch said calmly, returning to the subject at hand and ignoring Suzaku's frustration. "Do you have anything else to offer, or shall we simply end this exercise here?"

He was going to get up and walk away, and Suzaku would have to report to Schneizel that he'd failed.

"Japan."

"…what?"

Suzaku set his jaw. He hated this, but… "We'll give you Japan. A full withdrawal of forces and officials from the entire country over the next month, excluding a small force to protect and escort any Britannian citizens who want to leave within the next three months."

That stopped Lelouch in his seat, a perfectly stunned expression on his face. At his side, Tamaki jumped up and whooped.

"Just like you said, Zero! Man, you're good!"

Lelouch had predicted this? Then why did he seem so surprised…

"Neither you nor Schneizel are empowered to offer this, Suzaku."

…sure they were. With Charles dead, Schneizel had the power to do anything he wanted. "Does that mean you're not accepting?"

Lelouch sighed. "Schneizel's not the Emperor, Suzaku. He can't offer to free an Area. You know this."

"Yeah, but… he will be. And he'll keep his word, Lelouch, you know _that_."

Lelouch stood up. "Rolo, Tamaki, could you give us a moment alone, please?" Rolo stood immediately, grabbing Tamaki's arm when it seemed like the man might interrupt and dragging him out. Lelouch turned to Suzaku. "You can't seriously expect me to believe you were sent here with no idea what you're bargaining for, Suzaku."

Suzaku was actually beginning to suspect just that. "I don't know what your problem is. Your brother is offering you a victory here. Maybe it's because he doesn't want to fight against you. Maybe he's not as easy about killing family as you are."

Lelouch shook his head. "Schneizel is offering me Japan if I'll allow him to take Britannia."

"…it's his," Suzaku said simply. "You can stall him, but you can't stop him."

"I can. Right now there are protests erupting in Britannia, over rumours that Charles zi Britannia died in the battle for Area 11. The fact that the government and royal family won't speak of it reeks of a cover-up and some people have started speculating that Schneizel was behind it."

That was dangerously close to the truth.

Lelouch continued. "In a week, maybe less, Odysseus will be forced to take the throne, or allow chaos to overwhelm the nation. At that point, I'd be more than happy to let Schneizel go."

"It doesn't matter." Suzaku had met Prince Odysseus. He wasn't a bad man, but it was no secret that he followed Schneizel's lead on almost everything. "Even if he's not the Emperor, Schneizel will be the one in power. You know that, Lelouch."

"It matters," Lelouch disagreed. "The title matters, and the privileges matter. There's a difference between wielding power and influencing power, Suzaku. It's why I created the U.F.N." He sighed. "But I don't expect you to understand. I would, however, hope that you'd realize that you're being used."

"…how?"

"Schneizel is willing to risk weakening Britannia for the sake of ruling her. But he can't be seen to have done that, just as he can't be seen to have had a hand in his own father's assassination. That's where you come in." Lelouch stood up and started pacing, the way he did when he was genuinely agitated. "I haven't claimed credit for my father's death because I'm no longer merely Zero, I'm Lelouch vi Britannia once again. But you… a numbered knight, a notorious slaughterer… the thought of you assassinating the Emperor, then hijacking the negotiations to free your home country… It's believable. You're the scapegoat in all this, Suzaku. You're useful only in that you're expendable, and Schneizel thinks I'd revel in the chance to watch you fall."

It made sense. It could still be a lie, but… "Wouldn't you?"

Lelouch just shrugged. "It was lovely talking with you, Suzaku. Tell Schneizel that he can contact me directly if he ever wants to get serious."

"Lelou–" The screen went blank.

It was answer enough, although it still left Suzaku with dozens of questions.


	5. Changing Perspectives

Less than two days after that ridiculous 'negotiation' with Suzaku, Lelouch received a message that Schneizel wanted to talk with him.

It had been a rather long and awkward few days, after Tamaki had let it slip that Suzaku had offered Japan free and clear to Lelouch and Lelouch had declined the offer. Lelouch had explained his position to Toudou and Xingke, with Ougi present, and they'd agreed that they'd rather continue to fight for Japan than give Britannia to Schneizel in return for it, but there had still been a lingering feeling of resentment.

Ah well, they would have resented Zero just as much, if perhaps not as vocally.

Lelouch had learned his lesson, however, and arranged for this video conference to be between just himself and Schneizel.

"Hello Lelouch," Schneizel greeted him pleasantly. "I'm glad to see you're alone this time. How have you been?"

The protests in Britannia had turned into riots over the government's last announcement that the Emperor was alive. Thanks to Lelouch's spies in the media and on the streets, no one believed that now. "Well. And you?" Time was running out for Schneizel, although he looked as calm as ever.

"I must admit to getting a little stir-crazy in here." Schneizel laughed. "I know Sir Kururugi's offers didn't interest you, but perhaps he presented them poorly."

Lelouch smiled. "No, Suzaku presented him fine. As well as he could, considering you didn't bother telling him anything about the motivations behind your offers."

"Oh? Didn't I?"

For a moment, Lelouch almost believed it, that Suzaku had known everything and played Lelouch for a fool. But then Lelouch remembered who he was talking to, and who was more likely out of the two of them to be a manipulative bastard.

"In any case, no. I was not interested in really _anything_ Suzaku had to say." Lelouch leaned forward. "But I'm willing to hear you out, brother."

Schneizel nodded. "Very well. I have two offers. The first one is the same as Sir Kururugi's – namely the liberation of Japan, to which I would add financial and practical assistance in rebuilding Tokyo, since most of the damage there was to Britannian constructs."

"Your condescension is noted," Lelouch said bitterly. "However, I have the feeling that more Britannian structures on Japanese land is hardly what the people would want."

"And you're all about the wishes of the people, of course," Schneizel returned smoothly. "I understand. The second offer is rather more personal."

Lelouch scoffed. "There's nothing you have that I could possibly want. If you're going to talk about my reinstatement into the royal family again, I'll tell you right now that I have no interest in that. There's nothing there that could possibly entice me." Maybe before finding out his mother's murder was a sham, Lelouch might have felt some connection to his family. Now, with her memory tainted and Nunnally dead and gone, there was no reason for him to want to have anything to do with the Britannian royal family.

"There is that," Schneizel agreed. "But I'd hardly renew an old offer, already rejected, without adding something to sweeten the deal." He pressed a few buttons and a file popped up in the corner of the screen. "Take your time, Lelouch."

It was obviously a trap. Lelouch quickly ran through the various things this file could contain. Footage of C.C. being tortured by Clovis's goons, Suzaku's forced exploits after turning Lelouch in, Euphemia's funeral…

Lelouch closed his eyes. They were all in the past. There was nothing that could touch him now. He opened the file.

"Lelouch?"

It was Nunnally. Lelouch felt his heart stop before some sane part of him reminded him that this could have been taped anytime before her death. Even so, it was hard to watch.

"I hope… Schneizel said he would get this to you, somehow, and I trust him. I'll wait as long as it takes for you to contact me, but I hope you will."

She looked good, happy, healthy. Lelouch ached for her.

"Cornelia said that you were Zero. I… I'm sure she's mistaken, or she's misunderstood something. She also told me about _geass_, but only a little. She says you'll have to tell me the rest yourself. I don't understand, but… I need to talk to you." Nunnally sounded desperate now, leaning forward in her chair, her tiny hands gripping the armrests. "Please, Lelouch, I'm so confused right now and I miss you so much. I never told Suzaku-san or anyone about that phone call, but I've never stopped believing in you. Even after everything that's happened, even after the FLEIA and father, I still want to trust you."

…after the FLEIA? _After_?

"Schneizel…"

"Three days ago," Schneizel answered Lelouch's unvoiced question. "She was never in the blast radius, Lelouch. That was a decoy ship. She'd alredy left ten minutes earlier, in a supply shuttle."

Everything came crashing down at that moment. There was a part of Lelouch that was screaming at him that this could all be a trap, a fake. Sayoko had impersonated him enough at school for him to know that it was possible to do. But everything – Nunnally's words, her voice, her body language – _everything_ seemed so real. And if this had been recorded earlier, before her death, and Schneizel was using it against Lelouch now, there was nothing Lelouch wouldn't do to kill the man himself, with his bare hands.

Schneizel seemed to appreciate that. "It's real, Lelouch. She's alive. This isn't how I would have chosen to inform you, but I didn't have much of a choice…"

"Where?"

"She wanted to stay close to Area 11, but it was just as important to us that she was removed from the fighting."

"_Where_ _is she_?"

Schneizel sighed. "She's nearby, Lelouch, and I can let you talk to her. But I won't let you see her until we come to some agreement."

There were three trains of thought rushing through Lelouch's head – fewer than usual when he was plotting, but they were significantly more frantic than he was used to.

The first train was simply raging over the fact that Schneizel was holding Nunnally hostage, and determined to do anything he could to hurt him for it.

The second was calmer, and balanced the fact that he could work this – if he demanded to talk to Nunnally before making any decisions, ensured her safety and comfort, then consulted with Toudou and the U.F.N leaders… Britannian was already on the verge of anarchy, he wouldn't have to postpone for long to prevent Schneizel from gaining the throne. And Nunnally was safe. There was no way Schneizel would let her get hurt because he _knew_ (he must) that Lelouch would hunt him down for it.

The third was just this, repeating over and over again, drowning out Lelouch's rage and his reasonability in turns, Nunnally was alive.

"Where's Cornelia?" Lelouch's felt his voice scratch its way out past his tight vocal cords.

Schneizel looked relieved that Lelouch was at least communicating. "She's here. She's been commanding most of the battles."

"And Alstreim?"

"You've seen the Mordred? She's still piloting it."

That left… "Then where's Suzaku?"

"Yes. He's with Nunnally."

Lelouch wanted to hit something. He wasn't normally a physically violent person, but… "I want him."

"What?"

"No matter how this ends up, if I let you out of this mess to return to Britannia and do whatever it is you want to do, I want Suzaku Kururugi. I want him to answer to his people."

Schneizel looked sympathetic. "Lelouch, I promise you, he had no idea Nunnally was alive when he spoke with you. I didn't think he could keep that hidden."

He probably couldn't have. Still. "Let me speak with Nunnally. Let me know she's well and alive and this isn't a damn trick, and I'll let you know what I've decided."

Schneizel nodded. "I'll connect you to her in a moment. Then I'll give you some time, but I'm going to need an answer within three hours."

Lelouch swallowed as the screen went blank, waiting to talk to his sister who, mere moments ago, had been dead to him.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Suzaku leaned against the wall, his eyes closed as he tried not to fall asleep. His dreams had been haunted since firing the FLEIA, but they'd since faded into a kind of background of horror like the rest of his life. Seeing Nunnally again, no matter how welcome it was during his waking days, had somehow brought everything back tenfold and disorganized.

Euphemia, his father, Shirley, the slaughter in the EU, even Lelouch kneeling in front of his father, they all melded with the soundless white blast of the most destructive thing Suzaku had ever wielded.

Sometimes he wondered how Nina slept. Other times, he wondered how Lelouch did.

"Suzaku-san?"

Suzaku opened his eyes, and faced Nunnally. "Yes, Nunnally?"

"Do you think Lelouch will want to speak with me?"

Suzaku frowned, his brain still a little fuzzy. "Of course. Why wouldn't he?"

"I abandoned him. After V.V. found me, and reunited me with my family, I didn't search for him. And when I returned to Area 11, I never even tried going back to Ashford," Nunnally said evenly. "I've only been a burden to him, and the one time I might have been able to help him, I…"

"Don't say things like that," Suzaku said. "He… Lelouch loves you. He never blamed you for any of that, and… and he knows that it was his choices that kept you two apart."

Nunnally's lips pursed. "You mean because he was Zero?"

"Exactly. He chose revenge over you, Nunnally." Suzaku stopped himself before making things worse. "I mean… that's how he'll see it. He's probably just as worried that you won't accept him as you are. And with more reason."

Nunnally didn't answer at first, her hands tightly knotted on her lap and her head bowed. "What if I can't?"

"…what?"

Nunnally lifted her head towards Suzaku, a pleading expression on her face. "I just… ever since Schneizel and Cornelia told me about Lelouch being Zero, I can't stop thinking about Euphy."

Suzaku felt something within him lurch at the reminder. Nunnally was one of the few people who had always believed wholeheartedly in Euphemia, even after what had happened. She certainly hadn't agreed with the idea that the Japanese needed to be exterminated, but she'd had faith that Euphemia would never have said that either. She'd been willing to work with Zero to form a new SAZ when she'd been viceroy, and even forgiven him from his betrayal at those ceremonies. But it seemed that she was having more trouble accepting that it was _Lelouch_ who'd done that.

Suzaku could sympathize. He felt almost exactly the same way, only without Nunnally's capacity for forgiveness. As much as Suzaku would have loathed anyone who'd killed Euphemia, the fact that it was Lelouch hurt even more.

"I shouldn't have hidden that from you."

Nunnally nodded. "No. You shouldn't have. But I understand why you did." She reached out her hand and Suzaku took it, going to his knees before her as she clasped his hand to her heart. "You've always been so caring and protective of me, Suzaku-san. Thank you." She kissed his knuckles gently, then released him. "But I can't be protected from this, not anymore. So, please, be my friend and not another older brother."

Suzaku managed a light laugh. "Yes, well… I suppose you have enough of those now."

Before Nunnally could answer, the radio hissed with life. "Sir Kururugi? Nunnally?"

"Prince Schneizel?" Suzaku hadn't expected the prince himself to contact them. "I mean… yes, Your Highness?"

"Is Nunnally there?"

"I'm here, Schneizel. Have you talked to Lelouch? Will he…"

"Yes and yes. In fact, if you're willing to wait a few minutes, I can connect you directly through a video feed."

Nunnally paled and Suzaku impulsively grabbed her hand. She smiled gratefully up at him and squeezed his hand in thanks. "We'll wait. Thank you."

As they waited, Nunnally clutched at Suzaku's hand as if it was a lifeline. "Suzaku-san… this isn't going to be easy for me. So please, lend me your strength."

"Anything you need, Nunnally," Suzaku swore. "Anything at all, if it's in my power, you will have it."

"Thank you so much."

The screen flickered to live and Lelouch's face came on, desperate and pale and more alive than Suzaku remembered him since before he'd found out Lelouch was Zero. "Nunnally!"

"Lelouch." Nunnally was trembling. "Have you… have you decided to become my enemy, then?"

Suzaku and Lelouch both stared at her in shock.

"I'm still the viceroy of Area 11," Nunnally reminded them, her voice getting stronger with every word, no sign of the girl who'd been tense with fear of rejection from her brother just moments before. "As long as you're fighting against Britannia in Area 11, you're fighting against me."

Lelouch shook his head. "That's not… I thought you were _dead_."

"But you're not denying that you're fighting against me, and Britannia, now?" Nunnally pressed. "And before, as Zero."

Lelouch slumped, his head bowed over the table, his hair hiding his face, all the renewed vitality in him seeping out at Nunnally's words. "Yes. I did."

"Why?" Nunnally asked simply. "Tell me. Was it all for my sake? Because if it was, that means…"

Lelouch's shoulders shook and Suzaku wondered if Lelouch was actually _crying_. If everything had just caught up with him and he was realizing what a mess he'd made.

And then the sound caught up to the image, softly at first, then louder as Lelouch shook harder.

With laughter.

"For your sake?" Lelouch raised his head and Suzaku nearly moved in front of Nunnally to block her from those coldly amused eyes. "I see my little sister is as presumptuous as ever. I act for no one else's _sake_. It is for me, for my sake, that I took the actions I did. If you choose to stand in my way, by allying yourself with Schneizel and _Suzaku,_" Lelouch spat out Suzaku's name, "I won't hesitate to crush you without mercy and without regret."

Suzaku locked gazes with Lelouch and realized… he meant it. Every word.

A part of Suzaku wondered why he was surprised. After all, this was the same Lelouch who'd thoughtlessly shot Euphemia, who'd watched his parents dissolve into nothingness with little more than tired apathy. Why wouldn't he just blow Nunnally off?

_Because she was his reason. She'd been enough for him to abandon his army when they'd been winning. She was the reason he resented his parents in the first place. She was his everything._

Suzaku shook himself. No. That might have been true at one point, but it clearly wasn't anymore. Whatever Lelouch was fighting for now, it wasn't his sister.

And from the way Nunnally was shaking, she was realizing that too.

Suzaku couldn't take it anymore. "Lelouch, you–" Before he got any further, Lelouch ended the transmission. "_Dammit_!"

"Suzaku-san, stop." Nunnally placed a hand on his arm, calming him a little. "This is… I think before we do anything, we need to let Schneizel know Lelouch's answer."

Suzaku nodded and took a few deep breaths to calm himself. This had been done, no doubt, as part of further negotiations. Suzaku was pretty sure that what Lelouch had told him the last time they'd talked had been completely true, and Schneizel needed to return to Britannia and Pendragon to secure his power. If he'd intended to use Nunnally as a bargaining piece, however, it looked like that had failed.

Spectacularly.

"Would you like to talk to him, or should I?"

Nunnally smiled. "I will. You've already done so much, Suzaku-san."

He hadn't done anything, and certainly not enough, but he could try to be the friend she needed and support her in her decisions, rather than trying to protect her from them.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch stormed into his rooms. "Rolo!"

"N-nii-san!" Rolo looked up from the intelligence documents he'd been assigned to sort through. "What happened?" He jumped as Lelouch shoved the papers aside. "Nii-san…"

"Why didn't you know about Nunnally?"

Rolo's eyes widened. "I… I was set to escort her in a stolen Sutherland. I didn't… the radio said there was a FLEIA, but I didn't know what that was. I didn't know, nii-san, I swear!"

"That wasn't Nunnally!"

"Wh-what?"

"The ship you were escorting _wasn't Nunnally_. She's alive. So tell me, Rolo, why didn't you know that?"

Lelouch was breathing hard, looming over Rolo's smaller form with fury and a vague threat. Rolo could have escaped in seconds, even without his _geass_, but it never even occurred to him.

Nunnally was alive. Rolo cursed the fates that had taken away the _one_ good thing that had come out of the last great Tokyo battle. True, Lelouch had been upset, had even blamed Rolo and denied him, but that was all in the heat of the moment. By the time Rolo had gotten over his hurt feelings, Lelouch had been taken and Rolo had known exactly where and that he needed to get there.

It wasn't a matter of love or loyalty or even the blind faith that Lelouch was so good at cultivating in his followers. Rolo had never been wired to respond to any of that. Instead, what Rolo had chased after Lelouch for, what he'd worked so hard to convince Kallen and the others to trust him for, was the sense of belonging that he'd worked so hard to earn at Lelouch's side.

Rolo wasn't a fool. (Or maybe he was, but…) He knew he was, at his core, a tool. But he'd made the decision to be _Lelouch's_ tool, and that was where he was supposed to be. And Nunnally could take that away.

"I'm sorry, nii-san," Rolo breathed, truly scared for the first time. Lelouch's rejection before had hurt, but he'd been more than willing to accept Rolo back once Rolo proved his worth once again. With this failure, Lelouch might just decide he didn't need Rolo at all. "I thought she…"

"Did you see her? Not just entering the shuttle, but anywhere in the building at all."

Rolo shook his head. "No. But I saw her assistant get on and I… I never saw her."

Lelouch slumped, turning away. "And yet you let me believe she was dead." He raised his head. "And so did you."

C.C., Rolo only now noticed, had come out of her room and was watching them with cold eyes. "I had no idea. I can only read people if they're connected to the power of _geass_."

"You knew she'd been taken after Euphy's death."

"V.V. let me know," C.C. said. "This time was different. What are you going to do now?"

"That's none of your concern."

Rolo abruptly realized this was the first time he'd heard Lelouch talk to C.C. since they'd returned from the World of C. He had no idea what could have possibly happened in there, but whatever it was C.C. was now no more an ally to Lelouch than she had been as the mindless child she'd been since the destruction of the _Geass_ Cult. Even less so.

Normally, this would have comforted Rolo, since the less support Lelouch had, the more he'd rely on Rolo. But it was worrisome to watch Lelouch detach himself from one person after another – his Ashford friends, Suzaku, Rolo, and now C.C. The Lelouch Rolo had come to know, both as a memoryless student and as Zero, took almost all of his strength from the people who relied on him. Alone, Lelouch couldn't really do anything. And he was isolating himself.

Was this on purpose? Was he _planning_ on failing?

Rolo wasn't about to let that happen. He'd finally built a place for himself, fought for it even when it hurt, and he wasn't about to lose it. To lose Lelouch.

"What do you need me to do, nii-san?"

Lelouch turned to him, a sneer already on his lips, but that faded away at Rolo's firm expression. "Rolo?"

"You have a plan, right? Do you want to rescue her again? Or leave her there and continue focusing on your brother? Either way, with my _geass_ I can be a lot more help than going through reports." Lelouch knew what Rolo was capable of. He just had to be reminded once in a while.

Lelouch was already shaking his head. "I don't want you to risk–"

"I know my limits, nii-san. And you've used me before. Let me be useful now."

At least Lelouch didn't discount him out of hand. He looked thoughtful for a moment, far different from the furious emotional wreck he'd been when he'd first burst into the room, and Rolo knew that this would turn out well. Lelouch's plans always did, in the end.

"Did you speak with Nunnally?" C.C. asked out of nowhere.

"I did. She's with Suzaku." Lelouch sounded a lot calmer, more reasonable, but also distracted, as if his mind was elsewhere, working on a strategic problem.

"What did you say to her?"

"That I was willing to fight against her if she had chosen to side with Schneizel," Lelouch said, still calm. "If I win, I will be able to protect her. But if I lose, if worse comes to worst, I want her to be able to go on with her life. She can hate me as long as she's safe and happy."

Rolo felt a thrill of joyful relief. Lelouch wasn't replacing him.

C.C. didn't seem as pleased. "You really think she can be happy while hating you?"

"Why do you care?" Lelouch asked. C.C. looked away. "Nunnally's happiness wouldn't bring you closer to your goal, her hating me doesn't affect you at all. So why do you care?"

"You're no use to me dead."

Lelouch laughed. "I'm no more use to you alive, C.C. You're going to have to come up with a better excuse than that."

C.C. raised her head and Rolo could have sworn he saw something in her eyes flash. "You won't believe the truth, Lelouch. So accept the lie."

"No." Lelouch walked towards C.C., his stride confident and bold. "No, I want the truth, C.C. Why do you care about Nunnally's happiness?"

"…because she's important to you. Because her happiness is important to you. And because I care about what's important to you."

"_Why_?"

C.C.'s posture relaxed, as if she was resigning herself to the inevitable. "Because you've become important to me. I've started counting minutes and hours since I met you, instead of years. Your pain touches me, your hopes inspire me, and your goals become mine." She paused. "Was that what you wanted to hear?"

Lelouch looked taken aback. Rolo had seen Lelouch at some of his lowest moments, full of self-doubt and uncertainty. This wasn't nearly as bad as those times, but it had some of the same signs.

"I don't know," Lelouch finally answered. "I don't think I can trust you enough to believe that."

C.C. just shrugged. "I told you that you wouldn't."

Lelouch hesitated, before his expression darkened and he turned away. "It doesn't matter. None of it matters. Not you, not Nunnally, not Schneizel…" He trailed off and Rolo gingerly approached him. "I've come this far, and I'm not going to stop now."

"Let me help, nii-san. Please."

Lelouch looked at him solemnly, in consideration. "You've earned at least that much from me, haven't you, Rolo? I suppose I'll have to accept that you're not going to allow yourself to be discarded so readily." Rolo shook his head and Lelouch sighed. "Very well. But I do want you to be careful."

That sounded more like the truth than Lelouch's gentle 'I don't want my brother doing those kind of things' he'd said when Rolo had first offered to kill Suzaku. "I will be, Lelouch. I promise."

Lelouch nodded. "Very well. Come, then." He turned his back fully on C.C. and walked out of the room. "I do have a job that's well suited for your talents."

Rolo wondered if Lelouch was referring to his _geass_ or to his training as an assassin. Either way, he was happy enough just to be of use.

A movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention before he could follow after Lelouch.

It was C.C. Waving.

How odd.


	6. Shortterm Sacrifices, Longterm Gains

As soon as Toudou and Rakshata were found and Xingke answered the video call, Lelouch brought the meeting together.

"We've talked before about Schneizel's offer to withdraw from Japan completely," Lelouch started. "And we've already decided that the cost isn't worth the potential gain. But that was before, and the situation has changed."

Toudou immediately nodded, following Lelouch's reasoning. "The latest reports indicate that Odysseus will be forced to accept the crown tomorrow at the latest if he doesn't want the riots to spread. We're actually expecting an announcement any time now."

"He can announce, but until the coronation, nothing is final," Xingke said. "They can make the announcement to buy time, and Schneizel can still take the throne if he gets there before the ceremony."

"We have people on the ground in Britannia, and even some voices in the House of Lords." Toudou inclined his head at Lelouch in recognition of that long-distance achievement. "The ceremony will take place within hours of the announcement, without Schneizel to prevent it."

Lelouch nodded. "All we need, therefore, are two things – a little more time, and no communication from Britannia's mainland to Schneizel's people." He turned to Rakshata. "I'll do my best to ensure the first condition is met. About the second…"

"We have the modified geffion disturbers set up throughout Japan and China. It should be enough to cover the holes in the northern part of the web if we boost some of the transceivers's signals, but that's easily done. By the time they're on-line, nothing with a frequency below ultraviolet will get in or out of the net."

Xingke frowned. "We'll still be able to communicate over the radios within that area, though. Right?"

Lelouch nodded. "That shouldn't be a problem, although apparently too much chatter will bounce off the net?" Rakshata nodded. "So emergency use only."

"About the timing, Lelouch…" Toudou said.

"Of course," Lelouch answered. "Schneizel overplayed his hand. We were under the impression that the viceroy of Area 11, Nunnally vi Britannia, had died in the FLEIA blast. That turned out to be untrue. She's alive."

Toudou, who'd met the Britannian children when they were hostages of Kururugi Genbu, caught on quickly. "Your sister. Have you negotiated her return?"

Lelouch smiled, unsurprised at the assumption. "No. That's what Schneizel is expecting me to do. I've prioritized Nunnally time and time again, and the best predictor of future decisions is past actions." He shook his head. "But I can't afford to do that any more, particularly not with Schneizel."

"Are you asking for our advice?" Xingke asked. "Because she may not be _my_ sister, but I do understand the desire to put one special person first, above all others."

Rakshata nodded. "If your plan works, it won't cost us anything in the long term. Schneizel won't get the throne, and we can still take Japan back by force."

"She will be well protected here," Toudou assured Lelouch. "She could even join Kaguya-sama's retinue."

Lelouch was genuinely touched. He'd never expected this kind of support over a Britannian princess, and one who'd acted as viceroy over Japan to boot. It was a testament to how much faith and belief they had in him.

And he couldn't let that faith down.

"Nunnally isn't the issue. She'll be fine where she is. In fact, it's likely she'll accompany Schneizel when he returns to Britannia. And the surprise over me not asking for her is one of the ways I plan to buy time." Lelouch took out a prepared document. "This is another."

Toudou picked it up and leafed through it. "A complete surrender and withdrawal timeline?" He looked over at Lelouch. "You're giving up your sister for Japan?"

"A relatively bloodless victory, the FLEIA excepted," Lelouch said. "Believe me, at this point it's what she would choose as well. It's no more than Schneizel offered, and Suzaku before him, but it's effectively binding even if Schneizel doesn't become Emperor."

It wasn't technically valid, since Schneizel hardly owned Area 11 to give it up in the first place, but it would be a signed treaty, with Schneizel's name on it, and that would be enough of an incentive for Schneizel to make it happen.

Toudou handed it back to Lelouch. "Very well. If that's what you've decided…"

Lelouch nodded. "I'll contact Schneizel now and arrange for a meeting with him to ratify this. There is one more thing, however. I'm planning on asking for Kururugi as well."

"What? Why?"

"Two reasons. The first is that I feel he should answer to his own people for his choices." Toudou's eyes widened and Lelouch shrugged. "I won't bring up his father. That's in the past. The second reason is I don't want him near Nunnally. Not anymore."

Toudou's expression softened, and grew slightly concerned. "I see."

"I don't expect any… anything from anyone in particular. I'll accept all ramifications of this decision." Lelouch shrugged. "In any case, the negotiations over that demand will at least buy more time."

"Then that seems prudent," Xingke said calmly, having no emotional attachment to Suzaku at all. "When do you need the net set up?"

"The moment Odysseus makes his announcement." Everyone nodded and Lelouch stood. "Very well, then. We'll contact Schneizel and set everything up."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Schneizel stepped off the air shuttle, followed by Kanon and Cornelia. Suzaku breathed a sigh of relief at Schneizel's confident expression, and Kanon's reassuring smile. They knew what they were doing.

In less than ten minutes, Lelouch would arrive and they'd discuss the terms of a cease-fire, and this would all be over.

"Your Highness." Suzaku bowed immediately to Schneizel as he approached. "Princess Nunnally is waiting in her rooms." Suzaku hadn't brought her out, just in case Lelouch arrived first.

Schneizel smiled and gestured for Suzaku to stand. "Kanon, go fetch her please. Cornelia, if you wouldn't mind waiting with her in the conference room, Sir Kururugi and I will wait for Lelouch here."

As soon as Cornelia and Kanon left, Schneizel turned to Suzaku. "Do you have any questions, Suzaku?"

It was odd, hearing his name fall so familiarly from Schneizel's lips. "N-no, Your Highness."

"Surely you have _some_. You've talked with Lelouch, and I have no doubt he's said some things to make you doubt your position."

He had. Frankly, Suzaku was beginning to suspect he was just another tool to Schneizel. But, in the end, Suzaku had decided that that wouldn't so bad, even if it were true. "If he did, Your Highness, it didn't work."

"I see." Schneizel smiled and looked off into the distance, where Lelouch's plane was just becoming visible.

Suzaku wasn't entirely sure why Lelouch had agreed to hold the meeting here, away from his forces, north of Japan in Britannian territory. A neutral position would have made more sense, particularly since it was Schneizel who wanted this resolved more than Lelouch did. Was it because Nunnally was here?

Lelouch disembarked with Kallen, followed by Jeremiah and Rolo. Both Jeremiah and Kallen were armed, but just with one gun each. Nothing overly threatening. Suzaku himself had more weapons than that.

They fell into position as Lelouch approached them, Kallen and Jeremiah on either side, Rolo slightly behind them. "Schneizel. This is your safe haven for Nunnally?"

"I couldn't exactly have her transported to the mainland with your overzealous pilots shooting down anything that flew east of Japan," Schneizel pointed out. "This was the closest Britannian territory."

Lelouch inclined his head. "Well then. I'm sure you're in a rush to get this over with."

He froze for a moment at the entrance to the conference room, where Nunnally was waiting, but walked in before anyone could say anything, taking a seat on the other side of the table from her, but not directly across. Nunnally frowned and turned towards him as if she could sense him there, despite the fact that he hadn't said anything, as if she could tell him from his breathing or something. Suzaku wouldn't put it past her.

Schneizel sat next to Nunnally, right across from Lelouch and Cornelia sat beside him. Kanon stood behind Schneizel and Suzaku hesitated before standing behind Nunnally. Technically, he probably should have chosen Cornelia, but he just couldn't leave Nunnally unguarded.

None of Lelouch's companions sat. Kallen stood across from Suzaku, while Jeremiah and Rolo flanked Lelouch.

"You gave me two offers as I recall, Schneizel."

"I did. Have you chosen?"

Lelouch nodded. "I do have one additional demand, however." He pushed the prepared document over to Schneizel.

Schneizel read over the treaty before holding out a hand to Kanon. Kanon handed him a pen. "And what would that be?"

"We discussed it already. I want Suzaku."

Schneizel looked up. "Why?"

"I told you."

"You gave me a reason. But I want to know why, Lelouch. Why now." Schneizel gestured to the papers in front of him. "With this, the fight for Area 11, for Japan, is over. You've won, Lelouch. Japan supplies over half of Britannia's _sakuradite_. You will have significantly strengthened your Black Knights at Britannia's cost. It's a strategic victory as well as a moral one, one that will no doubt open more doors. And yet you're willing to place it on the same level as one single Britannian soldier."

Lelouch smiled and sat back. "Suzaku is more than that. He's Britannia's White Reaper, Japan's greatest traitor, and the son of her greatest patriot. He's a symbol, and a powerful one. I've wanted him since I was first Zero. But this isn't for me. It's for Japan." He leaned forward. "As long as they have him, as long as they have someone they can blame and punish for what's happened over the last eight years, they won't immediately turn on the Britannian populace that remains."

Schneizel frowned. "Your agreement allows for Britannian forces to remain in Japan to ensure the safety of the remaining Britannian citizens…"

"And they'll be permitted, I assure you. But no enforcement force is perfect. Distractions are more effective than deterrents."

And Suzaku was going to be that distraction. They were going to expose him, judge him, and probably execute him. Well. Not that last one.

"Your Highness," Suzaku said. "May I speak?" Schneizel inclined his head. "If possible, I would like to agree to this. As long as it protects the Britannian civilians, that's all that matters."

Schneizel pursed his lips. "If I agree to this I cannot keep my promise to you. You've more than earned my protection, Suzaku."

Nunnally turned, just enough to place her hand on the back of his. "Please don't go, Suzaku." She knew, more than anyone other than Lelouch, that the Japanese people could be just as cruel as the Britannians. Lelouch's eyes flickered towards her, then back to Schneizel.

"Japan is still planning on holding to the ideals I set out last year. Anyone, regardless of race or creed, will be accepted as long as they believe in justice and peace. I can guarantee that Suzaku, while he may be punished for his indiscretions, will not be put to death."

"An easy promise for you to make," Schneizel said, "seeing as you've assured his indestructibility."

Lelouch inclined his head. "Nevertheless. You lose nothing, the Britannians in Japan will be safer, and Suzaku will come out of this alive. You can give him whatever title and powers you promised him later, if you choose to negotiate for his return once Britannia is stabilized."

"You mean once Japan is stabilized."

Lelouch smirked. "Let's just say it'll be an interesting race." The chaos and riots over the Emperor's death and subsequent cover-up wouldn't go away overnight, just because a new Emperor was crowned. "Do we have an agreement?"

"There's just one last thing," Schneizel said. "Nunnally."

Suzaku stiffened and felt, through the hand on his, Nunnally do the same. Lelouch looked over at them, his expression impressively blank. "What about her?"

"That's cold, Lelouch. And you were practically trembling when you first saw her."

"I commend you for the surprise. It was masterfully played. But Nunnally has chosen her side, and I'll respect that choice." Lelouch shrugged. "Leave her here, take her to Britannia with you… it's up to you. And her. But once you sign that document, she will no longer be welcome in Japan."

"Lelouch!" Suzaku couldn't help it. That was just so… cruel.

Lelouch looked up at him. "It's not up to me, Suzaku. Nunnally was the Emperor's representative for Area 11. Essentially, she took on the role of oppressor to the Japanese people. I'm sure, with time, the diplomatic tensions between Japan and Britannia will ease, but even then, to expect them to welcome back someone who ruled over them…"

"That's fine," Nunnally said softly. "I understand that I can never go back."

There was more to that than just Nunnally's feelings about Japan. From the way Lelouch's gaze lingered on her a little too long, it was possible he heard that as well.

"Then do we have an agreement, Schneizel?"

…or not. Or he was just that much of a cold bastard.

Schneizel smiled. "We do." He signed the treaty with a flourish.

Lelouch accepted the papers back, and signed it himself. He looked up, not at Schneizel, nor at Nunnally, but at Cornelia. "Are you in agreement with this as well, elder sister?"

Cornelia hadn't said a single word this whole time. Suzaku didn't really blame her – in this arena she was far outclassed by Schneizel, and silence was probably as much help as any input would have been.

She looked at Lelouch, her eyes cold. "I'd thought you a traitor and a terrorist. I'd seen you as an spoiled brat, throwing a tantrum with guns and Knightmares. But, until this point, I'd never thought of you as a monster." She looked towards Nunnally. "If I get the opportunity in the future, I will put you down, Lelouch."

Lelouch smiled mildly. "But regarding the liberation of Japan and the transfer of Suzaku Kururugi?"

"I'm willing to play along for now."

Lelouch nodded and stood. "We'll leave first, then." He inclined his head towards Schneizel. "I look forward to the next time we meet."

"As do I," Schneizel said, standing as well. He extended his hand, exactly halfway across the table.

Lelouch hesitated, long enough to be noticeable, then shook it. He nodded to Cornelia and even Kanon before meeting Suzaku's eyes.

"Come."

There was something that rebelled inside Suzaku at the idea of coming at Lelouch's call like a dog. He'd done so for many other masters, but Lelouch…

This was a test. Suzaku took a deep breath and grasped Nunnally's hand one last time, squeezing it reassuringly. "You'll be fine, Nunnally. You have a hoard of siblings who will protect and care for you."

Nunnally nodded, tightening her grip around Suzaku's hand as well, before releasing him. "Take care, Suzaku-san."

Suzaku allowed Jeremiah to take his arm, leading him out like a captured prisoner. Which he was now.

Just as they were leaving, Schneizel's voice rang out one last time.

"The boy looks unwell, Lelouch. You should take better care of your subordinates."

Suzaku frowned. There was something important about that…

"Indeed. I'll consider that for next time, Schneizel."

…but Lelouch moved them out of the conference room and out of the building before he connected it all together.

"His _geass_…"

Just as Suzaku spoke, Rolo collapsed, breathing shallowly and fast. Far too fast. Kallen scooped him up and Jeremiah dragged Suzaku the rest of the way as they hurried to the shuttle, where Lelouch immediately grabbed an oxygen tank and hooked Rolo up to it. "Breathe, Rolo." Kallen watched them worriedly until Lelouch turned to her. "Kallen, get us out of here!"

As they flew off, racing towards the nearest Black Knight medical team, Suzaku watched Lelouch frantically tending to Rolo. He wondered if Lelouch even knew how much he was fretting right now, how he looked with his brow furrowed and his lips pursed with worry as he propped Rolo up and undid the buttons around his neck, holding the oxygen mask up to Rolo's face and talking in a smooth but hurried voice.

"What can I do?"

Lelouch barely glanced up. "Nothing. Just sit there, Suzaku."

Rolo's eyes rolled towards him, pale and unfocused in a greying face. Suzaku wondered if he'd actually end up watching him die in Lelouch's arms. That, despite the fact that Suzaku had seen almost every permutation and cause of death up close and personal, made Suzaku oddly uncomfortable.

He looked oddly like Euphemia had in her last few moments. Frail and small, with huge eyes that didn't seem to quite understand what was happening.

As they began their descent, Rolo's eyes closed and didn't open again. Lelouch's rapid but controlled voice wavered, cracking as he demanded over and over again that Rolo wake up, open his eyes, _look at him_, dammit…

The moment they landed, a team of medics took over and Lelouch watched by Suzaku's side as they worked on Rolo, sticking wires on and in him, injecting him with various fluids. Suzaku's instincts took over and he reached out and placed his hand over Lelouch's.

Lelouch looked over at him in surprise. "Suzaku?"

"He'll be fine."

Lelouch turned his hand over so that they were almost holding hands, palm-to-palm. "I hope so. I still have duties planned for him."

"Lelouch, don't…"

"I'll cope with things my way, Suzaku." Lelouch managed a weak smile as the medics stabilized Rolo enough to move him into the makeshift hospital. "And if he dies, I'll cope with that as well."

Somehow, although Suzaku was sure he would, Suzaku doubted it would be as simple as Lelouch made it sound.

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Three hours.

That was how much time Rolo had bought them. Use after use of his _geass_ during the negotiations, between questions, working on everyone but him and Jeremiah. Lelouch had asked for two.

"That little idiot…"

"Hmm?" Suzaku's head shot up at Lelouch's voice. "Is he awake?"

"No, not yet. Go back to sleep."

Rolo had bought them the time they needed, however. Between his three hours and the communications black-out, Odysseus had already been crowned by the time Schneizel was able to contact Pendragon. He arrived after the ceremony was already over, unable to even offer his own congratulations or fealty to his new Emperor on camera with most of the rest of his siblings. Britannia's unrest would probably last a few days or even a week longer because of Schneizel's delay.

The question Lelouch had to ask himself was, even if that happened, would it be worth Rolo's life?

"When are you going to sleep, Lelouch?"

"Don't pretend you care."

Suzaku rolled his eyes. "Why not? You pretend not to care and I'll pretend to care and it'll all even out in the end." Lelouch ignored him.

"Zero!" Lelouch nearly sighed out loud in relief at the entrance one of the younger Black Knights. A distraction. "Sir, the interim Japanese government has been decided. Kaguya-sama wanted you to go over it before it was delivered."

Lelouch held out his hand. "Thank you." He looked over the form, immediately frowning at some of the names. Ougi as Prime Minister?

"…is there a problem?"

It didn't matter. And at least this way, he would be out of Lelouch's hair. He'd had a significant amount of respect for Ougi's determination and empathy, even while being exasperated at the man's lack of vision and focus. But after his betrayal…

"No, it's fine. I'm sure Kaguya-sama has planned everything out appropriately."

"How is she?" Suzaku asked. Lelouch and the Black Knight turned to him. "What? She's still my cousin."

The Black Knight looked nervously at Lelouch before answering. "She's fine… sir…"

"Thank you. Please report back to her that she has my full approval and support."

"Yes sir!" the Black Knight bowed gratefully and ran off.

"Don't talk to my soldiers, Suzaku. It confuses them."

Suzaku looked at him for a long moment. "Lelouch, why am I here?"

"I already went through this with Schneizel."

"No, why am I _here_, in this hospital waiting room, and not locked up somewhere?"

Lelouch sighed. "Because you're not going to run off somewhere while you have the chance to protect people, even through your own dishonour."

"I could attack you."

"You could."

There was a long moment of silence. "Can I tell you what I think?"

Lelouch felt a headache starting. It was late, nearly twelve hours after his negotiations with Schneizel, and he was exhausted worrying over Rolo. He didn't want to sleep, just in case he missed something like Rolo waking up, or his last few moments. But that didn't mean he wanted to hear Suzaku's theories on why Lelouch had taken him away from Britannia, especially because he was too tired to make stuff up at this point, and if Suzaku guessed right he wasn't even sure he could hide that.

But Suzaku was continuing anyways. "I think you're protecting me."

_Shit_. "Why would you think that?"

"I just figured it out. You tried to warn me about Prince Schneizel, that he was using me, and I didn't listen. So you _kidnapped_ me–"

"I negotiated for you, and you came willingly. Don't be overdramatic."

Suzaku's lips turned up in a half-smile. "You're not denying it."

Lelouch sighed. "Do you really want to know why I wanted you, Suzaku? You're right, it's not just to hand you over to the Japanese as some sort of balm to their wounds." Suzaku's smile faded. "It's because I don't want you anywhere near Nunnally, you lying, treacherous, poisonous, piece of trash."

Suzaku nodded, looking away. "Nice try. You oversold it at the end, though."

Lelouch groaned and banged his head against the wall. "I hate you."

"Nah." Suzaku leaned back still wearing that half-smile. "You're frustrated and annoyed by me, but you don't hate me. Not since you found out Nunnally was alive." Lelouch tried to ignore him, but the niggling fact that Suzaku was right bothered him immensely. "It's like at Shikine island, when you used your _geass_."

It _was_ like that. Lelouch felt the same anger and hurt betrayal as he'd felt then, watching Suzaku throw himself at the feet of Britannian royalty, knowing that it was the wrong place for him. And, again, he'd reacted in the same way, against Suzaku's own wishes but for his own damn good.

The difference was that Suzaku was aware of it now, and there was more history between them.

But 'hatred' wasn't the right word. Maybe it never had been, at least not for Lelouch. But he was pretty sure that Suzaku's anger had cooled off into a form of hatred over Euphemia, over _geass_ itself, even over Japan. It put Lelouch at something of a disadvantage.

"Shouldn't you be doing something?" Suzaku changed the subject. "I mean, as Zero?"

Lelouch shook his head. "Zero is now Lelouch vi Britannia. The less I'm seen to have to do with the liberation of Japan, the better. I'll just wait until Emperor Odysseus makes his move." If Odysseus followed through on Schneizel's promise, the Black Knights could start putting together a police force right away. If Britannia reneged on this deal, a good chunk of the EU that hadn't signed on to the U.F.N. would consider joining, since Schneizel's word was all that had stopped them from turning against Britannia in the first place. Either way, even if Lelouch had to fight for it, this would work out to his advantage. The only question was how.

"What about the Emperor? I mean, your father. How are you going to explain that?"

"Not my problem," Lelouch said. "Schneizel's been vaguely implicated and that's an uncomfortable position to be in. He'll have to explain it away."

"And if he accuses you?"

Lelouch smiled. "_Then_ it becomes my problem. I'd rather not have to deal with the reputation of a regicide, but it's not nearly as damaging to me as it would be to him."

Suzaku was going to ask another question, but one of the nurses interrupted them. "Zero? I have good news. Halliburton is asleep and stable, recovering well."

Lelouch allowed a wave of relief to wash through him for a moment. Then he stood up. "Have Kururugi escorted to one of the holding cells. I'll deal with him in the morning."

"Sir… it's five am now."

"…the afternoon, then." Lelouch turned and walked away, leaving the medical staff alone with a Britannian soldier who had a reputation for leaving no enemies alive. The flurry of activity following his departure even sounded amusing.


	7. Pieces in Place

Schneizel breathed a sigh of relief when Odysseus wasn't there to meet his plane when it landed. The last thing they needed was a desperate-looking Emperor.

The large military force was less relieving, although predictable. Schneizel had heard about the riots when they started, and they hadn't died down completely after Odysseus's coronation. Schneizel wondered if they were being protected or guarded. Probably both – as unlikely as it was that Odysseus had suddenly become paranoid and power-hungry, the fact remained that as long as he was childless he was the only man standing between Schneizel and the throne of Britannia, a position any adviser would consider 'precarious'.

Not that Schneizel wanted it. Well, not anymore or just yet, at least.

Lelouch had played his hand well.

Cornelia placed a hand on Schneizel's arm. "Let me go first, then you, then Kanon with Nunnally." Schneizel inclined his head, bowing to her military experience. It occurred to him that Cornelia was putting herself at risk for him, then he put that thought aside. It was nothing less than what was expected.

Fortunately, nothing happened. They were carefully escorted into the main palace, where Guinevere was waiting for them.

"Cornelia." The sisters embraced as Schneizel watched. Technically, as the higher-ranking sibling, he should have been greeted first, but Cornelia had been missing for months. He was more than happy to let this pass.

When Guinevere pulled away, her eyes suspiciously shiny, she immediately turned to Schneizel. "Odysseus would like to speak with you as soon as possible." She seemed anxious, as if she was worried that Schneizel would be placing blame for what had happened. Schneizel smiled.

"Of course. I am, always, at His Majesty's disposal."

Guinevere visibly relaxed, a relieved smile softening the severe lines of her face. "Thank you. He's in his… in father's old study."

Of course he would be. "I'll head off then." He kissed Guinevere's cheek, as softly and non-aggressively as he could. "Kanon."

Kanon immediately fell into step behind him, leaving Nunnally and Cornelia in the care of the eldest princess. He didn't ask anything, seemingly content to wait and see what Schneizel would do.

Schneizel knocked on the Emperor's door. One of the guards opened it to let them in.

"Your Majesty, Crown Prince Schneizel is here to see you."

Schneizel couldn't (and didn't really want to) stop a small smile, nothing more than a quirk of his lips, at that. He was, indeed, the crown prince now, wasn't he?

"Schneizel!" Odysseus's relief was so thick Schneizel could practically taste it. "Please, please…" There were two seats free. Schneizel indicated to Kanon that he should take the second chair – it was a sign of trust.

"I'm sorry, we… we tried to contact you, but we couldn't get through and the riots were getting out of hand and I–"

Schneizel raised a hand and Odysseus immediately fell silent. It had meant to be a calming gesture, and it was fine for the privacy of Odysseus's office, but they'd have to train him out of that habit. Schneizel wasn't giving up that oh-so-useful hand gesture simply because the Emperor responded to it, and if Odysseus was seen to bow to his younger brother…

It was imperative that Odysseus be taken seriously. At least for now.

"Your Majesty… brother… may I officially pledge fealty to you?"

Odysseus's eyes widened. "But I… I thought… I could abdicate. We both know who father wanted to see on his throne once he was… gone."

Schneizel smiled gently. "Then he should have made it clearer before his untimely death. You were his heir at the time of his demise, and you've been crowned. You're the Emperor now."

"I know, but I could step aside!" Odysseus said eagerly. "I don't mind, Schneizel."

There were dozens of reasons why that wouldn't work. Schneizel was under suspicion of regicide, if only because he was in Japan while his father had, presumably, died there. Even if that hadn't been the case, Odysseus wasn't hated by the Britannian people or the nobility. Schneizel was better loved, but that was hardly reason in itself to force an abdication, however willingly it was presented. And with the riots and the chaos, they needed to present a unified front, not change their minds and leaders seemingly whimsically.

Of course, once everything had stabilized and the monarchy was well situated once again, they could have this discussion again.

The fact that all of this could have been avoided if their father hadn't been playing foolish games with his empire and his children crossed Schneizel's mind, but he dismissed it as unhelpful.

He stood and bowed formally. "Your Majesty. I pledge my life, my strength and my will, for thy service."

"Schneizel, please…"

"Thy rock and thy tool, thy voice and thy wishes. For thy sake, I will see these through."

It wasn't just the pledge of a royal scion to a new Emperor, it was the pledge of a regent. Schneizel dearly hoped Odysseus caught the underlying message, that Schneizel would continue to work for Britannia's sake, as he had been, with his own power. That he would take the burden of responsibility and power from Odysseus and leave him little more than a figurehead. It wasn't ideal, but it would have to work.

Lelouch truly had played his hand well.

Odysseus hesitated, all the objections draining from him as Schneizel offered him more or less what he'd wanted.

"Rise, Prince Schneizel." _Excellent_. "And go with my blessing and my trust." _Most excellent_. Now Schneizel had the power to do what needed to be done, to protect Britannia. He was still Prime Minister and still a diplomatic envoy, but now he had additional powers to speak for the crown. It wasn't as strong a move as securing the role of Emperor, but it was workable.

The fact that Lelouch held a similar position with the U.F.N. wasn't lost on Schneizel.

"Now. You must be exhausted." Odysseus gestured and a tea service appeared out of practically nowhere, still steaming. "Please refresh yourselves a little. I just have one small thing to discuss with you…"

He'd included Kanon. Schneizel smiled gratefully, a wave of affection for his foolish but kind brother washing over him. It made a nice change from the sharper Lelouch. "Of course."

"Area 11."

Ah. As much as Schneizel may have wanted to, he couldn't think of a way out of that that wouldn't be just as destructive as letting it go through. If the negotiations had gone as he thought they had, started and over within an hour, it would have been an acceptable loss. As it was, Schneizel wasn't sure where the other three hours had gone, nor how Lelouch had managed to black out communications for an additional hour of travel, but either way the swift resolution hadn't been quite swift enough.

Still. "I gave my word, Your Majesty, that same word which is all that's stopping numerous EU states from joining Lelouch and his new Federation."

"I know, but…" Odysseus sighed. "Is there no way out?"

None. And Schneizel had started looking for one the moment he realized Lelouch had played him for a fool. "Not unless you're willing to turn five tentative allies into enemies."

"Alright." Odysseus took that well. "In that case… how did Lelouch look?"

_How did Lelouch_… Schneizel smiled. That, also, was just like Odysseus. "He looked well. He's clever and manipulative, but he has loyal soldiers. _Extremely_ loyal soldiers. When he… when _we_ thought Nunnally had died in the FLEIA explosion, that hit him quite hard. But now that she's alive, he seems to be handling himself much better." …unfortunately.

"That's good. Is there any chance… I mean, he seems quite angry, but maybe that's just the company he's keeping? Perhaps if we were to invite him back home…"

"He no longer considers Britannia his home," Schneizel said. "He's disowned us, once again."

Odysseus frowned. "But Nunnally…"

"I know. This will be hard on her. May I ask… while I'm focused on resolving the issues following our father's death, could you keep an eye on her?" Odysseus was truly the best person for that job.

Odysseus nodded. "Of course. Get some rest and we'll meet tomorrow so I can grant you whatever you need. And Schneizel?"

Schneizel looked up.

"Welcome back."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

Lelouch had left orders, naturally, even as he seemed to just walk away from Suzaku without a second glance. Within minutes, Suzaku was escorted from the hospital to a small bedroom with an attached bathroom. The door locked on the wrong side, but apart from that it looked incredibly comfortable.

"This is the holding cell?"

The Black Knight guard, not Japanese, just shrugged. "Zero seems to think this appropriate for you."

Actually, come to think of it, none of the people Suzaku had seen since being captured (apart from Kallen) were Japanese. Lelouch must be keeping him from them. "Thanks."

"Just following orders."

Suzaku sat heavily on the bed, still tired from a rather restless night waiting to see if Rolo would die or not. Not that it really mattered to him (and he was a bit surprised at how much it seemed to matter to Lelouch) but it still took its toll.

More on Lelouch than on him. Lelouch had seriously let his guard down, and Suzaku had caught a glimpse of someone who was neither Lelouch Lamperouge nor Zero.

"_I hate you_."

The exasperation and the frustration had been real, but the words had just slipped out without any bite. It was only when Suzaku heard them that he realized that Lelouch _didn't_ hate him, not anymore at least. There hadn't been any teasing affection in his tone, but he hadn't argued when Suzaku pointed out that he was lying.

Lelouch was usually a better liar than that. He must have been exhausted.

Still, none of that answered the question of what to do now. Suzaku supposed he could sleep, Lelouch wouldn't be back for him for hours, but he found his mind racing. Lelouch had mentioned that Suzaku might have been set up to take the fall over the former Emperor's death and for the Britannian loss of Japan. Now, obviously, he wouldn't be in Britannian hands to do so, but Lelouch could be planning to use him to deflect that from himself as well.

That seemed appropriately long-term thinking for Lelouch, but a little too simple. Then again, Suzaku's supposed purpose for being here, to distract the Japanese people from the remaining Britannians in Japan, added another use that would justify it. If that was what he was planning. Which might not even be the case.

Suzaku flopped back on the bed, letting his body get some rest even as his brain raced. What was Lelouch up to?

After what felt like a slightly longer blink, Suzaku woke up to the sound of someone unlocking his room. Also, he really had to go to the bathroom.

He took a second to decide whether getting caught on the way to the bathroom or sitting and holding it in would be more embarrassing, and then dashed for the bathroom. At least he would be more comfortable.

"Kururugi?" Suzaku didn't recognize the voice. "Visitor."

One good thing about the momentary panic was that Suzaku was well and truly awake now. "I'll be a minute or so." The downside was that he had to relax before he could do anything about the pressure in his bladder.

The door closed and Suzaku sighed and finished, washing his hands with the lightly scented soap before returning to the bedroom. "Okay, I'm–" He stopped, staring at his 'visitor'. "Kallen."

"Suzaku." Kallen shrugged awkwardly. "I… Lelouch doesn't know I'm here."

A peace offering? Suzaku couldn't help but remember the last time he'd seen her, with their roles reversed – her as the prisoner, him as the guard. He'd threatened her, desperate for information and grieving over Shirley, but he hadn't managed to go through with it. In return, she'd beaten the crap out of him, but he couldn't deny that he deserved it.

What was she here for?

"I thought you might want to know. Emperor Odysseus made the announcement official today. Area 11 is gone, and Japan is free. Toudou and Kaguya made some pledges about keeping the remaining Britannian citizens safe, but things are already starting to get a little chaotic."

Suzaku nodded. "That's what I'm here for." Kallen frowned. "As long as everyone has something to focus on, something to take their attention and blame, they'll behave. That's what Lelouch thinks, at least."

"And that something is you?" Kallen asked. Suzaku nodded again.

"Look, everything's getting messy now. The U.F.N. is demanding a restructuring of the Black Knights, probably just to get Lelouch out. Ougi's gone all political on me, and Toudou has more than his hands full with the Britannian withdrawal, and…" Kallen shot a look at the door, moving her coat to reveal a vial of something clear (not _refrain_, thank goodness) in an injector. "You deserve better than to be a scapegoat, Suzaku."

Suzaku smiled. "That's sweet of you to say, Kallen." Kallen shot him a glare. "No, really. It's more than I showed you. But I can't. I volunteered for this" _sort of_ "and I think it has merit. I never expected to escape judgement, Kallen. I just want something good to come out of it."

Kallen looked torn. "What good can come out of parading you around like a trophy? That's what Lelouch was trying to prevent in the first place! I mean, yeah, we've had issues in the past, but you deserve _better_. At the very least, a Knightmare frame."

She was honourable, Suzaku thought to himself. Honourable and proud. Like a true _samurai_, like what his father would have wanted him to be. But Suzaku wasn't like that. "Knightmares are tools, Kallen, like any other weapon. Like the FLEIA." She flinched. "They're not noble or anything, and just because they're elegant that doesn't mean that the people killed by them are anything other than dead. Losing to you in the Lancelot, or losing unarmed to Lelouch… they're the same. And at the very least, I can go to my defeat knowing that something useful will come of it."

"You're so…"

Suzaku grinned, a real, genuine grin. It had been so long that it felt out of place on his face. "Yeah. I know."

Kallen looked unbearably frustrated. "I'm going to talk to Lelouch about this. I'm not just going to let this happen!" She banged on the door and stormed out the moment the guards opened it.

Suzaku met the eyes of the guard on duty and shrugged wryly. "Women."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

"Area 18 should be simple enough. They've only been Britannian for a little over a year and the locals know the terrain better than any of the Britannia solders or officers stationed there. All they really need is equipment and support."

Lelouch, working on three hours of sleep, just nodded.

"Of course, we'll need to keep a sizeable contingent here to watch over the evacuation of Japan."

Lelouch nodded again.

"So… what's the plan, Zero?"

Lelouch sighed. "Japan is our first priority. Area 18 has sent a formal petition, have they not?" Toudou nodded. "Then have the U.F.N. contact Britannia first, let them know that they've been petitioned and are willing to open talks. The more Areas we can free with diplomacy rather than violence, the better a reputation the U.F.N. will have."

Xingke did not look pleased. "That means giving up any advantage of surprise."

"We're not a terrorist organization anymore. We're a legal military arm of a legislative body." Lelouch stretched, unable to relieve the knots in his muscles. "Diplomacy first. Force second."

"The FLEIA…"

"Understood." Toudou stood up, interrupting Xingke's objection. "We'll continue with our work here."

Lelouch frowned thoughtfully. "Speaking of, has Rakshata made any progress on a defence against the FLEIA?"

Toudou hesitated. "The reports should have been sent to you…" Lelouch nodded tiredly. He hadn't gone through all of them. "…but essentially no. Her team has put together a working model, if needed, but a dampener or canceller seem to be more difficult to design than expected."

Well, she'd built the geffion disturbers. If there was anyone who could manage the equivalent for a nuclear weapon, it was her. "Thank you, Toudou."

Toudou bowed as he left, leaning towards Xingke and whispering something outside of Lelouch's hearing.

Ah. A conspiracy. Just what he needed. Although chances were likely they were just concerned about Lelouch's lethargy.

It was just so hard. Ever since Nunnally's death, and even more so after confronting his parents, Lelouch felt like fighting was just so much work. He used to relish the challenge, the feeling he was doing something significant, working towards something big.

But that something big was the U.F.N. and the Black Knights, an effective and accountable administrator of justice. After the victory over Japan, they were both legitimized in the world's eyes. Currently the Black Knights were the most versatile and effective armed forces in the world, including the Britannian army. And with the new repositories of _sakuradite_ they would only become more powerful. And they answered to no one country, but to the collective will of several nation-states.

And to Lelouch. They were his, in a way the U.F.N. never could be.

He owed them. He owed them time and effort and support and leadership. He owed them Zero. But it was suddenly so hard…

He wasn't fighting _for_ anything. That was the problem. His mother's murder was no longer a mystery, the culprits all dead, and Nunnally's world would happen, if only because between the U.F.N. and Schneizel war was the least effective way of getting anything done on either side. Lelouch had already calculated which Areas would likely want liberation and which would want to remain Britannian, and it left a nice big power niche for Britannia and a decent amount of new allies for the U.F.N. On balance, in a decade or so, the world would be at relative peace, coupled with relative freedom.

And the price would be just this: Suzaku Kururugi.

In all honesty, Lelouch could do it without discrediting Suzaku. It wasn't necessary, although he'd told the absolute truth about Suzaku's very public, very embarrassing trial probably saving lives. But there was one thing he needed Suzaku for.

Clearing Euphemia's name.

As much as he tried, Lelouch couldn't think of an alternative. Currently Euphemia was considered, even in Britannia, the "Genocide Princess". She deserved better. But unless some spontaneous monstrous dictator came out of nowhere and made her actions relatively meaningless, she would always be remembered as such.

Unless Lelouch fixed it. And the only way he could was with Suzaku's help.

He checked the time quickly. Half past eleven. Just enough time to grab something to eat before seeing Suzaku. Lelouch bit his lower lip in thought as an idea occurred to him.

Just under an hour later, he arrived at Suzaku's room, carrying a covered tray. The guards let him in without a word.

Suzaku was lying on the bed, fully clothed, completely awake. "Lelouch."

"Suzaku," Lelouch returned calmly, setting the tray on the bedside table. "Hungry?"

Before answering, Suzaku sat up, moving much more fluidly than Lelouch had. Well, he'd likely had more sleep. "What is it?" Lelouch gestured at him to check. Suzaku's face lit up as he lifted the cover. "_Unagi_? Did… did you make this?"

"It's the first meal we shared that summer."

"I remember." There were two sets of chopsticks and rice filled bowls. "Lelouch, you don't have to…"

Lelouch shrugged, suddenly feeling awkward. "You have to eat."

Suzaku smiled. "I guess." He scooted over, moving the table to the side so that if Lelouch sat beside him they could comfortably share.

Lelouch hesitated a moment before taking the silent invitation, picking up a pair of chopsticks as he sat down. "_Itadakimasu_."

Suzaku's smile turned into a full-blown grin. "_Bon appétit_."

They ate in silence for a few minutes.

"You look tired."

"So do you."

A few more minutes of silence, interrupted only by chopsticks hitting the side of the bowls and chewing.

"Lelouch, why are you here?"

Lelouch put his chopsticks down. He was full in any case. "I need to talk to you about… things."

"Things?" Suzaku asked, snatching an extra piece of eel before setting the table aside. "What kind of things?"

Lelouch stood up. Side-by-side on a bed wasn't the place to discuss this. "About what comes next."

Suzaku smiled. "I assume you're going to set up some kind of formal public trial and outline my crimes one-by-one and give me a chance to justify myself, which I won't do, and then judge me."

"Not me," Lelouch said. "I can't have any part in that. It's not my place."

Suzaku snorted. "Yeah. And reminding the Japanese people that their saviour is a Britannian prince wouldn't smooth things over at all."

"No. It wouldn't." Lelouch wished Suzaku would stand up. It felt like he was talking down at him. "But that's not all. I have… there's something I need you to do for me."

Suzaku leaned back, slouching almost. As casual as Lelouch had ever seen him. "Yeah? What?"

This would have been easier if Suzaku had been argumentative, belligerent, even just his usual baseline of hostility. Lelouch swallowed.

"I need you to claim that you manipulated Euphemia into what happened at the SAZ."

That got Suzaku's attention. "What?"

"It doesn't need to be a complicated story. Just that you planned a trap for the rebels, but Euphemia misinterpreted something. She never intended her orders to be taken literally. She wasn't in her right mind at the time."

"How about this?" Suzaku asked, leaning forward, suddenly a coiled and dangerous animal. "How about her brother screwed with her mind to the point she was forced to do something she reviled."

Lelouch closed his eyes. "I thought about that. It's too unbelievable. But the White Reaper of Britannia, the man who fired the FLEIA… they'll believe the massacre was your idea, misimplemented."

He wasn't surprised when Suzaku grabbed him by the front of his shirt, slamming him against the wall, but it still hurt. "You're asking me to take your fall?"

Lelouch nodded, opening his eyes to look into Suzaku's. "I am."

Suzaku, looking thoroughly disgusted, released Lelouch's shirt and started turning away. Lelouch grabbed his shoulder, keeping him in place. "If there was another way…"

"Shut up."

"Suzaku–"

"Shut up!" Suzaku was breathing fast and hard, his face flushed with anger, his muscles trembling furiously under Lelouch's hand. "God, Lelouch, you really are just too…"

Lelouch let Suzaku go and Suzaku stalked away from him, slamming his fist against another wall.

One of the guards opened the door. "Zero? We heard…"

Lelouch glared at him. "Everything's fine. I'll call if I need anything."

The guard hesitated for a moment, then nodded, closing the door. Suzaku laughed.

"I'll do it."

Lelouch had expected eventual agreement. This was a little sooner than he'd thought Suzaku would concede. "…thank you."

"It's not for you."

"No. I expect not." Lelouch straightened up his clothes. "It will have to be sooner rather than later. There are already–"

"Yeah, Kallen told me," Suzaku said. "And you've got to move before Schneizel does."

Lelouch inclined his head. He'd been thinking more or less the exact same thing. "Are you sure?"

"Am I _sure_? Lelouch, I hate this. I hate that I'm going to be dragged in front of my country as a criminal when all I ever wanted was to protect people. I hate that you'll get away with no consequences _again_, when your motivations have all been purely selfish. But you know what makes it worthwhile? The chance to clear Euphy's name, and the fact that somewhere in Britannia there's a crippled sixteen-year-old who believes in me and knows _exactly_ what you are."

It took all of Lelouch's self-restraint not to flinch at that. His act might have fooled Schneizel, might even have fooled Nunnally, but Suzaku… Suzaku clearly saw through him. "If the ends justify the means, Suzaku, then what you're doing is a great thing indeed."

"And if they don't?"

Lelouch couldn't meet Suzaku's eyes. "Then surely I'm as evil a villain as ever lived."

The sound of bedsprings alerted Lelouch to the fact that Suzaku had thrown himself on the bed. "It's not that simple."

"No," Lelouch conceded. "Perhaps not."


	8. Trials, Tribulations, Tentative Triumphs

The prosecution part of Suzaku's trial took a week. It was the longest week of Suzaku's life.

For seven hours (with an hour break for lunch) a day, every single action he took since (and including) joining the Britannian army was dissected. Trained lawyers questioned him again and again, about his motivations, his thoughts, his feelings. He had a 'defence' lawyer whose job, as far as Suzaku could tell, was sitting and taking notes as Suzaku was questioned.

Things from Suzaku's past, things Suzaku had forgotten (or almost forgotten) were dragged up and placed on display. Like Akira Nakagawa, one of the young Japanese boys who'd signed up with Suzaku. He'd been a year older than Suzaku, and had joined because both his parents had been killed in the fighting and he had two younger sisters and a cousin to take care of.

His body had been found three months into training. No reason or cause of death had been investigated, but Suzaku had been the one to find the body. He hadn't died peacefully.

Suzaku hadn't thought about Akira for years. Half of Suzaku's salary had gone to his sisters, but that hadn't been much and Suzaku had no idea if they were even still alive.

At least the tribunal wasn't accusing him of having killed Akira.

Instead they asked question after question about how he could have stayed after that, how he could have taken orders from the same people who allowed that to happen to his friend. Hadn't he felt any loyalty, any empathy for him? Or for the thousands of Japanese slaughtered by the army Suzaku had willingly joined?

It was a long day. Every day was.

On top of that, there were analyses with TV pundits and experts dissecting everything Suzaku said. And Suzaku said a lot – he knew that the longer this dragged out, the better. Every night, after he finished facing down accusation after accusation, he had to hear about how he was mentally disturbed, how he must have been abused in the months after the invasion and before he was found, that his father's death must have shocked him into becoming the vile beast he now was.

That last bit made him think; of all the accusations thrown at him, no one had mentioned his father's death. Everything else Suzaku had done, up to the FLEIA at least, other Honorary Britannians had done. But his father's murder… that was something that would make even the FLEIA and the SAZ massacre seem in character.

They hadn't gotten that far, just to the point of addressing the fact that Suzaku had apparently willingly agreed to the execution of his mentor and Japan's hero, Toudou Kyoshirou, when Lelouch came to visit him.

"How are you doing?"

Lelouch still looked tired. Suzaku tried but couldn't muster up any sympathy for him. "As well as could be expected. You?"

"The same." Lelouch leaned against the cell bars, ignoring the safety risk. Suzaku smirked; that was just like him.

"How are… things?"

Lelouch smiled, seeming genuinely pleased. "They're actually moving along quite smoothly. Thank you."

They hadn't gotten to the difficult part yet. "As long as it's working. Hey, did you… do they know about my dad?"

Lelouch's eyes widened at the question, but he covered it quickly, making Suzaku think that the surprise had been genuine. "No. I didn't think that would be appropriate."

"Why not? I mean, it's not like they're sparing anything else. And it's not like it'd destroy me."

"It would–" Lelouch cut himself off, moving closer and lowering his voice. "Suzaku it would be unforgivable. No one would understand the context or the situation. All they'd see is a child killing his father over an argument. Patricide is something innately more horrific than any crimes committed against strangers."

Suzaku looked searchingly at Lelouch, looking for any sign of irony. He couldn't find any.

Of course, "unforgivable" was kind of what Suzaku was aiming for. He smiled and dropped the subject. "So. The SAZ should come up tomorrow."

"It should."

"I'll keep my word, Lelouch." And then some.

Lelouch smiled wryly. "I never doubted it, Suzaku. I just came to say thank you once again."

"That's all?" Suzaku asked, not bothering to wait for an answer. "How's Rolo?"

Lelouch looked surprised again, then pleased. "Much better. He's walking, but his endurance is poor. He has a stress test scheduled for tomorrow."

So the little spook was recovering. Suzaku shrugged, he was mostly just trying to change the subject.

"Suzaku," Lelouch said, suddenly solemn.

Suzaku looked up, schooling his face. "What?"

"Don't do anything foolish."

"Who, me?"

So much for changing the subject.

Suzaku slept on it, considering Lelouch's perspective. They both knew that Suzaku admitting to killing his father would have been unbearably hard a year ago, but Suzaku had practice at it now. Besides Lelouch, Suzaku had told Euphemia and even Kallen. And the world hadn't ended, and it kept getting easier to confront.

Of course, if he came perfectly clean about his father, it could go the other way as well. Genbu Kururugi was revered as a patriot, a hero. Publicly airing out the dirty laundry that his father had been willing to sacrifice Japanese soldiers in an unwinnable war for personal political gain could ruin that reputation. And the Japanese needed their heroes right now.

So. Partial disclosure it would be. And before he lied about the SAZ. After tomorrow, he would be the most hated and despised person in all of Japan, and Euphemia would be just another one of his hapless victims.

He started before the prosecution, pledging, once again to tell the truth before asking to speak. Once he was given permission, he closed his eyes and offered a silent apology to Euphemia for everything that had happened.

"I killed my father."

His announcement was met with stunned silence.

"Gen– Kururugi Genbu did not commit suicide. I stabbed him in his office before running off with the visiting Britannian royal children. Because of my actions, the war ended."

One of the lawyers, improvising off script, stepped forward. "And why would you bring this up today?"

"Because I want everyone to understand. You've asked for my motives, how I could do the things I did for the Britannian Empire, and it all boils down to that one moment. The moment I realized that Japan was weak. That my father's faith in his army was misplaced. That Britannia would win, and would _always _win. And the only way to minimize casualties was to allow them to win sooner rather than later."

The defence lawyer picked up his phone and started making calls. Suzaku continued.

"It's why I never joined Zero, despite being invited to do so. It's why I willingly fought against the Japanese resistance, in whatever form it took. The longer the fighting continued, the more innocent victims there would be." The small grains of truth, of how Suzaku truly had felt, made the lies come easier, more smoothly. "I wanted to save lives."

No one told him to stop, so Suzaku continued, moving towards the point they were all here to address today. "That's why I asked Euphy to form the Special Area Zone."

"How could that _atrocity_ possibly–"

"It brought all the influential Japanese rebels together. I knew that if we could corral them together, they would be easier to take out. Euphy wasn't… she had no idea, up until that day, what I had planned." Suzaku leaned forward, hoping he wasn't coming off as overly desperate, but _needing_ them to believe this. "She wasn't ordering anything. She was _warning_ people. When I told her what I'd planned to do, she grabbed my gun and ran onstage to warn everyone."

"But… but she shot…"

"It was an accident. She was a _princess_ for goodness sakes, she had no idea how to use a gun! And then she was just scared." The official recordings stopped after the first wave of deaths, so there was no footage of Euphemia gunning down Japanese civilians with a machine gun. "I couldn't… if I'd known that was how it would have ended up, with so many innocent deaths, I would never have…"

It would work. It was a lie, but a politically useful lie for everyone. Zero… Lelouch had already taken well-earned credit for her death, but that would hardly matter compared to the rest of the message. If someone were to examine it, piece-by-piece, Suzaku was certain there would be massive holes in his story. But who would? For what purpose? No one wanted Euphemia hurt or discredited, and those who needed a villain to blame for the massacre now had Suzaku. It was imperfect, and Lelouch surely would have done better, but it might be able to hold up long enough to clear Euphemia of the title of "Genocide Princess". Suzaku wouldn't mind taking it on as well. After all, as the only person to ever fire a FLEIA, "Genocide" already fit him well enough.

Suzaku's lawyer finally stood up. "Ah, would it be possible to request a short recess?"

The trial was being broadcast live. Suzaku's words had already been sent out throughout Japan, and even to several other U.F.N. nations. A recess wouldn't stop that, and there was no way this wouldn't be picked up in Britannia within hours at the latest. Soon, Nunnally would hear, from Suzaku's own lips, that Euphemia was as innocent as she'd always thought. And that Suzaku had used her for his own ends. Would she be able to see through it, or would she start to wonder if Suzaku had been using her as well?

Suzaku had an inkling of the feeling Lelouch must have felt during the negotiations with Schneizel. Losing Nunnally, due to his own actions, his own choices, hurt.

They escorted Suzaku out with his lawyer, sealing them up in a secure room. It was only when Suzaku sat down and watched him nervously talking on the phone that he realized he didn't even know the man's name. How rude of him.

"Y-yes, I… No, he did this of his own ini– Of course I would have… I wasn't aware… Yes, of course." He handed Suzaku the phone.

Suzaku gingerly brought it up to his ear, bracing himself just it case it was…

"You _idiot_! I told you not to say anything about your father! What, do you think they'll overlook it just because you immediately segued into the SAZ?"

"Hey, Lelouch."

"Don't you use that tone with me! You've just destroyed any potential sympathy from the tribunal, never mind the Japanese people, and drawn a giant target on your chest. Do you have any idea how hard it'll be to convince them not to issue the death penalty for you? You're eighteen, it's legal under both Japanese and Britannian law!"

"D'you think it worked?"

"What?"

Suzaku smiled. "Do you think it worked? The SAZ thing?"

There was a long pause. "Probably. It was a good story."

"Thanks. I've had a week to fine-tune it."

"Suzaku, do you really want me to praise you for putting your own head on the chopping block?"

Lelouch sounded a lot calmer now, still upset but less furious. That was good. That meant he was thinking. That meant he could be reasoned with. "Isn't this what you wanted? My decisions, my emotions, my reasoning, my failures… all exposed? Having to explain and justify and apologize over and over again for the things I did wrong. And even the things _you_ did wrong. Wasn't that the whole goal of this?"

Of all the things Suzaku was expecting, Lelouch's laughter, genuinely amused and light, was not one of them. "No, Suzaku. My goals are never that simple." There was a pause and Suzaku heard some murmuring in the background. "Give me back to Saito-san."

"…who?"

"Your lawyer." Oh. Obviously. "I'll do what I always seem to have to do."

Suzaku wasn't going to bite. He wasn't going to… dammit. "And what's that?"

"Work around you."

OoO-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-OoO

C.C. sat and watched Lelouch bustling. He tried not to resent her laziness, but the familiar feelings were creeping back. Lelouch still wasn't sure he trusted her, or liked her to the extent that he had, but he'd found a sort of understanding. She'd had to choose between Marianne and her Wish, and Lelouch. He couldn't be angry at her for not choosing him. Which was saying something, since anger was a skill he'd honed quite well over the years.

"Are you sure about this?"

Lelouch hesitated (and that hesitation would probably always be there now, a testament to their broken trust) before shooting C.C. a wry smile. "Positive. I hate to say it, but this new kinder gentler world is actually better suited for Schneizel than it is for me."

"He's a manipulator and devoted to his Empire."

"As long as peace benefits him, he'll follow through on what I started. Better than I would have. And Kaguya's a match for him across the negotiating table, and Xingke's a match for Cornelia on the battlefield. I'm leaving everything in good hands."

C.C. wrapped her arms around her legs. "And can you live without being in the middle of things?"

"We'll see." The door opened and Rolo walked in, looking as healthy as ever, as long as he maintained nothing more than a leisurely walking pace. "Rolo, are you packed?"

"I didn't really have much to pack," Rolo said. "Nii-san, are you sure about this?"

Lelouch grinned, this time much easier than at C.C. "Of course I am." He sat Rolo down on the couch, sitting beside him. "Rolo, you know what I have to do." Rolo swallowed and nodded. "You said you knew your limits, so either you lied or you pushed yourself far beyond those limits. Neither excuse is permissible."

"I understand." Rolo grabbed Lelouch's arm. "But please, nii-san, let me still use it to protect you."

Lelouch frowned. "I'm sorry, Rolo." He shook Rolo's arm off and removed his contacts. "Rolo Hali-Lamperouge. You are to refrain from using your _geass_." Lelouch hesitated. "Unless you or Nunnally vi Britannia are in danger and your _geass_ is necessary for your or her protection."

"Yes. Understood," Rolo said mechanically.

While the _geass_ was still working, C.C. sat up. "He's afraid you'll discard him if he's not of any use anymore."

Lelouch snorted. "Even with his _geass_ he's no longer useful. I have no need for him from now on." His voice softened. "But that doesn't mean he doesn't have a place."

"What made you change your mind?"

Lelouch shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe his loyalty. But mostly it's that, no matter how much I try, I can never get rid of him." He smiled fondly at the frozen boy. "And he's right. I'm a liar. And I should surround myself with as many people who can remind me of that as possible."

C.C. laughed lightly. "I see. Interesting way to cope with your forgetfulness."

Rolo blinked. "Is it over?"

"It is." Lelouch stood up and ruffled Rolo's hair. "I'll see you in a few days, okay?" He didn't turn back, unsure how much of the conversation with C.C. Rolo had overheard.

He still had a few more things to prepare. Suzaku's trial was winding down. Kaguya was busily convincing the U.F.N. head members that Zero deserved to remain the Black Knight's CEO, despite him being a former Britannian prince. And Schneizel…

Lelouch sighed as he entered his office. He might as well start with Schneizel.

Two days later, everything was finally set up. As expected, Schneizel had been the biggest hurdle to overcome but even he could see that Lelouch genuinely had no hidden intent in his offer. Lelouch gathered up the papers he needed, grabbed his mask for the first time in over a month, called Suzaku's lawyer and set out.

By the time he reached the courthouse, the plan was in full motion. Atsushi Saito had managed to keep the trial going even without much to draw from to defend Suzaku. It sounded like the prosecution was getting sick of the delays. Lelouch waited until the clamouring objections from the prosecution became louder than the defence itself and then walked in, mask on.

The sudden arrival of Zero was as if someone had flipped a switch as the courtroom went from noisy and chaotic to frozen and silent, the only sounds echoing in the chamber those of Lelouch's clipped, military-like steps. He stood in the middle of the courtroom, his back to Suzaku, facing just offside from the camera angle. It was more dramatic than face on.

"This trial is over." Before anyone could protest, he turned directly to the cameras, tossing aside his cape in a dramatic gesture. "Suzaku Kururugi is coming with me."

"You've got to be joking…" Funny how it was Suzaku who broke the silence. "Lelouch what are you _doing_?"

Lelouch smirked behind his mask, grateful to Suzaku for using his name. "I'm getting you out of here. I've spent two years working for the sake of Japan, and now I'm acting for myself."

"Zero, all of Japan recognizes your efforts, however this is a legal trial! There are rules…"

Lelouch laughed. "I've never been one to follow rules. Power… now, _that_ I appreciate. Both as Zero and as a former prince of Britannia I understand the uses and misuses of power." With another dramatic gesture, he drew his gun. "Consider this a little of both."

The two courtroom guards, who up until now had had nothing to do, hesitated before aiming at Zero. One of them even turned his gun on Suzaku, as if he'd done anything. Zero ignored them all.

"Suzaku Kururugi was a child when his nation was invaded. He was abandoned, set to fend for himself rather than protected by any of the powerful people his family had been connected to. He has been forced to walk a narrow line between betraying his country and encouraging the same violence and destruction that wrecked the world of his childhood. He swore oaths to Britannia, something that many Japanese and other conquered people have been forced to do, only he _kept_ those oaths.

"Even so, within the limited scope of his _very_ limited power, he tried to protect civilians, and save lives. These sensibilities have nearly led to his own death time after time, yet he never abandoned them. It is because of him that Japan is now free, as it was by his hand that the former Emperor, Charles zi Britannia, fell."

"Lelouch!" Suzaku jumped up from his seat, as expected, outraged at the sudden accusation couched as a mitigating factor. A gunshot rang out and Lelouch watched as Suzaku's _geass_ activated, turning him into an instrument of death and destruction for anyone unfortunate enough to get in his way. Fortunately, there was no one close enough to fall prey to him.

Lelouch dropped the gun and tore off his mask, making sure that the cameras got a good shot of his face right before Saito set off the hidden smoke bombs. Suzaku had taken cover behind the defendant's box, so Lelouch grabbed his arm, hoping he was still under the effects of his _geass_.

As Lelouch had predicted, the _geassed _Suzaku didn't consider him a threat and allowed him to move him towards the window. Lelouch pressed a button and the window exploded, indicating that Saito had fulfilled every aspect of his _geass_. Lelouch managed to get Suzaku out through the window and into the waiting car before Suzaku's _geass_ wore off and before the police arrived. Lelouch was rather pleased with that – the timing was the one aspect of the plan he hadn't been completely sure of.

As C.C. drove away, Suzaku's _geass_ wore off. "Where are… Lelouch! What did you do?"

Lelouch shot him a grin. "Burned just about all of my bridges. ETA, C.C.?"

"Six minutes. I'll have to speed to get us there on time. You and your speeches…"

Considering the four… no, five, police cars after them, she would have needed to speed in any case. "As long as we arrive on schedule." He leaned back, taking out his phone to check if anyone had bothered to try to contact him.

Suzaku slapped the phone out of his hands. "Lelouch, what the hell is going on here?"

"_Now_ I'm kidnapping you," Lelouch explained clearly. "See how this is different from a negotiated handover?" C.C. took a turn rather sharply. "For one thing it's less comfortable."

"Why? I did everything you said."

Lelouch nodded in agreement. "You certainly did. And I appreciate that, Suzaku, I really do. Immensely so. Even disclosing what happened with your father… well, that was your choice. I shouldn't have tried to dictate to you what you should share."

"But then… why…"

"Did you really think I'd leave you to hang?" Lelouch scoffed. "Come now, Suzaku. Even as strained as it is, our friendship is worth more than that."

"…friendship?"

"Call it what you will." C.C. turned off the roads and onto a military tarmac. "It's worth more to me than that."

C.C. turned the car towards a mid-sized cargo jet with the rear cargo ramp opened. She slammed on the breaks as the police vehicles surrounded them, locking the steering wheel forward so that the car screeched up the ramp just as it started rising, making it into the plane and just barely bumping into the far cargo hold wall. "We're in."

From outside the car, but inside the plane, a smooth male voice echoed. "Taking off."

"We can't!" Suzaku objected. "The trial… the… you said it would keep everyone calm!"

Lelouch and C.C. got out of the car. "Suzaku, get strapped in. We're taking off."

The jet accelerated quickly, and Suzaku got out just in time to strap himself in to one of the few net seats before the car rolled back to the rear of the hold. "This is a bad idea."

"Nonsense," Lelouch said, grinning. "It's one of mine." He flipped up a control panel in the wall and pressed a few buttons. "Toudou? How much time can you give us?"

"Fifteen minutes, possibly more. The moment word got out that you abducted Kururugi, the Black Knights suddenly became rather sluggish," Toudou said, sounding almost proud. "How is Suzaku?"

Lelouch looked over at Suzaku. "He's fine. Furious, but fine. Thank you again, Toudou. And thank Xingke as well when you see him, please."

"Of course. Give Suzaku my regards once he calms down."

"I will." Lelouch closed the panel. "Well… looks like we're home free."

The moment it was stabilized in the air, Suzaku undid his bindings and stormed into the cockpit. Lelouch and C.C. followed him, close enough that Lelouch bumped into him when he stopped suddenly.

"A-Anya?"

"Suzaku." Anya looked up from her co-pilot seat, smiling tentatively as if trying out the expression. "Nice to see you again."

"What is…" He looked between her and Jeremiah in the pilot seat. "What's going on here?"

"I told you," Lelouch said. "We're kidnapping you." He closed the door to the cargo hold. "Well, either C.C. and I or Anya and Jeremiah are kidnapping you, depending on what you choose."

"…what?"

Lelouch sat down in one of the cushioned passenger seats. There were four. "It's fairly simple, Suzaku. I expect you haven't worked it out yet simply because you're disoriented. I never planned to leave your fate in the hands of vengeful legislators, Japanese or Britannian. You were a brilliant distraction, but that's no longer necessary now that most of the Britannians have moved to safe locations or left Japan altogether. And those who haven't at least have the protection of an active police force."

He took out the papers he'd brought to the courthouse and split them into the two categories. "As for you, you have two choices." He handed Suzaku one set. "Schneizel has authorized a full and complete pardon for you, and reinstated you as the Knight of Seven. You can discuss your promised promotion at your leisure." Suzaku leafed through the pile until he came to one particular paper. "Ah, yes. Nunnally dictated that. You may go over it at your leisure. I haven't read it."

Lelouch passed him the second set. "Or you can come with C.C. and me." Suzaku looked up, shocked at the offer. Lelouch shrugged and smiled wryly. "I don't know about you, Suzaku, but I'm done with it. In a decade, we'll be able to see the fruits of this labour, for better or for worse. If needed, I can always return. But this… this is the fresh start I promised Rolo. The least I could do is offer it to you as well."

Identity papers, money, backstory… everything set up for Suzaku to settle down as a normal eighteen-year-old. But he'd never really been a 'normal' kid, and Lelouch wasn't sure he'd want to be. His devotion to duty was likely strong enough to draw him back to Britannia and Nunnally. Lelouch wouldn't even really mind that at this point, as long as his live _geass_ was still active. But if Lelouch had to come out of his early retirement due to abuse of power, particularly from his elder brothers, it would be reassuring to not have to fight against Suzaku again.

Either way, he wasn't letting the Japanese vultures get at him.

Suzaku looked up from the papers and abruptly stood, stalking back to the cargo hold. Lelouch watched him go and sighed, leaning back in his seat.

Twelve hours left until they landed.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been asleep before the repetitive irritation of small crumpled up pieces of paper hitting his face woke him up.

"Suzaku…"

"Morning, sleeping beauty." Suzaku looked… relaxed. Almost pleased. "Mind telling me where we're going? No one else will."

Lelouch still felt a bit groggy. "The British Isles. Ireland, to be exact. C.C. insisted." His mouth tasted like stale socks. "Then Anya and Jeremiah are heading to Florida." The realization of just what _exactly_ had woken him up made him sit up abruptly. "Please tell me that wasn't pieces of your pardon you were flicking at me."

Suzaku laughed. "Nah. Just some of Schneizel's instructions. So. Ireland huh? I hear it's pretty rainy there."

"You like the rain," Lelouch retorted. "Or at least you did when you were a child."

Suzaku shrugged. "I could learn to like it again." He met Lelouch's eyes with complete seriousness. "I think that, given enough time, I could learn to like a lot of things I used to."

"Nunnally…"

"Asked me to take care of you." Suzaku grinned. "You're clever, Lelouch, but you're not nearly as clever as you think you are. Or the people around you are more clever than you give them credit for. You fooled her, you fooled all of us. But not for that long."

Lelouch shook his head. "I don't…"

"We forgive you," Suzaku said. "Or… maybe not forgive. But we're moving on, living with what you've done and what we've done. I think that maybe, one day, we'll be able to really forgive and move past this. But until then…" He held out his hand. "Friends?"

Lelouch took it tentatively, not entirely sure if he trusted Suzaku not to hurt him. It looked like Suzaku and Nunnally weren't the only two who needed to learn forgiveness. Lelouch's gaze wandered to C.C., then snapped back to Suzaku. "Yes. Friends."

His grip was firm and warm, and full of unspoken promises.


End file.
